I have to say there is one thing I am seriously thankful for regarding this group.
And that is the complete absence of nonsense statements about the markets and investing made elsewhere on DU!
It happens with predictable regularity, especially when there is volatility or something major is going on.
I see comments inside threads or even OP's that are just utterly nonsensical. They often look good on the surface or are structured in such a way as to make the writer look clever or like they are taking a shot at the market or The Street or investors in general or rich people, but in fact are completely goofy!
I don't want to link any specifics. If you've spent any time in GD the last few days and read any of the threads that have referenced the recent wild trading, you know what I'm talking about.
Thanks. Thanks to all of the participants here for staying logical and on point! Thank you for not using absurd hyperbole simply because it makes a post look sensational.
I SOOOO want to post a few links to illustrate, but I won't!
Some of that shit was so stupid my brain wanted to go for a walk.
Happy New year!
= new reply since forum marked as read
I have no proof because none is needed because it's obvious and all that and so forth and so on. 
Don't forget, the fatcats will be taking the top off your 401k and the Fed is buying stock because it sounds cool.
of it. (Great timing, I might add. I just read they are going after the milk tomorrow).
Do you think the fat cat manipulators are going to go after IRAs next? 
Years ago, in a well known daily thread in another group, a particularly clueless-on-a-regular-basis poster was responding to someone who said they were concerned about the performance of a mutual fund they held.
"Here's a way to mimic funds", this genius began,
"Buy stocks that have the potential to rise in the future, and hold them for more than a year"
I. Shit. You. Not.
There are some extremely knowledgeable people that have posted in this group and I'm happy to participate in a group that eschews those kinds of sentiments.
Serious questions deserve serious, well thought out and ACCURATE answers.
And yeah, I knew you were "taking the piss". 
so, of course, they will be here.
Second, Whiny Donny, in the beginning of the year, took credit for the major increases and after that remained silent. So of course many will take aim at him.
Especially since some of the reasons were the tariffs, the trade war and, in general, the volatility in the White House.
As wiser people have said: the market does not like uncertainty.
We have been taking RMDs for a couple of years now, which has been less than 4% - just following the tables on the IRS publication.
But, I think, that the rule of 4% withdrawal means that the savings should last 25 years, without major crashes, of course.
Ours kept going up so besides shaking my head, I am taking this in stride.
Glad for the small increase of the Social Security payments because RMDs will be lower, I am quite certain.
Happy New Year to you, and thank you for the steady guide here, even before your "promotion."
I'm with you on the prevalence of the story and it's subsequently being talked about on DU, I'm just astounded by the number of people who say/type things that are just head scratchingly dopey! And it's not new, of course. It's been going on for years.
Here's an example from a long while back;
On a regular thread in another group, a poster said something to the effect "When China calls in its markers", insinuating that "China" had loaned this country money and could demand repayment in full at any time. I tried to politely explain that's not how it works, that "China" in whatever entity you care to point to, had voluntarily PURCHASED US Treasury bonds and they are in no possible way able to demand early redemption. That's just not how the system works.
The poster was having none of it. Told me I didn't know what I was talking about, that they had in fact loaned us cash, just like a bank does when you buy a car.
I finally gave up, because trying to tutor someone on the basics of how the international sovereign bond market operates is not how I wanted to spend an evening!
There are of course, thousands of areas of study I am a complete ignoramus in. And I am by no means an expert in investing or the financial industry, either. But I know what I know, and I can spot bullshit pretty easily.
It would be like me going into the "Open Source and Free Software" group, a subject I am virtually clueless about, and spouting off like I had invented some special code! I mean, I've owned computers since the early 90's, so perhaps I could type a post that looks good on the surface, but would mean absolutely nothing!
As I said, I'm very glad the regulars in this group don't do that sort of thing.
Anyway, again, thanks for the compliment. As I said in the post I pinned, I'm going to be as absolutely hands off as I can, but I think the Border Collie analogy is apt. I'll just do my best to keep the wolves at bay.
I hope your 2019 is joyful and profitable!
Paul
in another group.
Posted 25 minutes after Dec 24's 1 pm ET NYSE close when the Dow lost 653 points, on top of losing 414 points the previous trading day for a total of 1067 points lost in 2 consecutive trading days
Not much consideration for those who have at least some part of their savings in equities and don't want to have to work until they are 95.