Selloff a wake-up call for investors

[greengiraffe]

85 - Pan Elec Crisis,

87 - Black October

97 - AFC

07 - GFC

Hopefully not 2017

May I ask, if choose one, which is the "best" learning experience? (my choice is GFC)

I forgotten about the 911 and SARS.

I m a human afterall and appreciate each learning experience that is new. I just learn to be better and move on. So far so good as both tangible and intangible wealth have bettered inflation rates.

GG

[kbl]

Good afternoon everyone.

1990 The Gulf War.

[kichialo]

"It's not quite so easy as buying a few shares that pay a decent dividend and then just getting on with life. Unless you can watch your stockholding decline by 50 per cent without becoming panic-stricken, you should not be in the sharemarket".

Let's take a survey. How many of you here had live through at least once a 40 to 50 % portfolio decline and survive?
Start with me.
i had. This recent GFC was the most shocking to me even after living through some others 30 to 40 % declines.

I had. It was the AFC and its aftermath. One cannot help but be hardened after facing 50% portfolio decline for years on stretch. In comparison the GFC was like a blip.

[Temperament]

"It's not quite so easy as buying a few shares that pay a decent dividend and then just getting on with life. Unless you can watch your stockholding decline by 50 per cent without becoming panic-stricken, you should not be in the sharemarket".

Let's take a survey. How many of you here had live through at least once a 40 to 50 % portfolio decline and survive?
Start with me.
i had. This recent GFC was the most shocking to me even after living through some others 30 to 40 % declines.

I had. It was the AFC and its aftermath. One cannot help but be hardened after facing 50% portfolio decline for years on stretch. In comparison the GFC was like a blip.

Agree GFC recovery was a surprise in terms of time.
But your stock Portfolio in terms of your % of total assets and absolute amount of $$$ invested would carry more weight(degree of fear?) then how many % the market has tanked.
i think the absolute amount $$$ invested makes your heart jitters & flutters more. Further more not necessary the market has tanked 50% so is your portfolio. Thank your lucky star, your skill or thank your GOD if your portfolio show a loss of only 20 to 30 %.
You should make money when the market recovers.

And we all who had experienced 50 % market tanked of our portfolios most probably were at different crisis years. That's why each of us will choose a different extreme market bear year of fear.