It's time to start digging up those Squirrelled Nuts!!!!

michaels

DD1 didn't take her GCSE mock exams to seriously but her results were just what she needed to spur her effort - bit of a shame if she gets her mock grades as she has probably worked hard enough to lift her average by two grades - I did warn her but teenagers always know better than their crusty old parents.....

...and what do I know, I considered hedging CV in Jan and decided that it is 'time in the market not timing the market' and efficient markets mean that surely my guess of the impact of CV was not better than the market consensus at that point - still it has only cost me 6 years and counting) of retirement.....

shinytop

DairyQueen said:

We also use Nextdoor website. Our's is a very rural area so our group includes several villages. The 'Covid-19 Action Group' appeared this week so the community is galvanising.

I am torn between maintaining the integrity of parents' cocoon and offering my services. I can't see how dog-walking or popping into the village pharmacy a couple of times per week could increase my risk, could it?

We are fortunate that our income isn't threatened. The economic impact on younger generations will be felt for many years.

Heard today that the schools are closed from Friday and all exams postponed. I expect my neighbour's eldest (GCSE year) will be ecstatic. MallyGirl's daughter is probably feeling less thrilled given it's her A Level year.

Anyone dared to check their portfolio recently? Trustnet helpfully (not) emailed me my monthly valuation this week. I haven't dared logon since the weekend. I couldn't resist the temptation to squint at the bottom line (oh ye Gods & little fishes!) and quickly closed the email. I won't be doing that again in a hurry.

We are the same in that we have 3 parents/in-laws aged 86-91.  I think if you keep your distance from people, don't touch your face (very important that one ) and wash hands as often as you can then the risk of catching it in a non crowded situation is low. When we visit the parents/in laws there is lots of hand washing and no hugs/handshakes.  And no small children. 

 My dad attends a centre for the blind twice a week and one of the other attendees has tested positive.  He last attended 6 days ago and has no symptoms so should be OK.  The centre is now closed.  Interestingly they would not divulge who tested positive, just that someone had.  I suppose even in these troubled times we have to protect confidentiality.  

crv1963

DairyQueen said:

Thrugelmir said:

Locally we have been using a website called Nextdoor for the past couple of years. In our locality this has grown to some 500 households out of some 1,300. Up until now. Used primarily for items for sale, informing of local crime, local events, can you recommend a roofer etc, people selling services such as gardening. Politicial debate is effectively banned. The site is not a Facebook. Past week or so has enabled people to communicate very effectively. With many offering very basic things as lifts or running errands. For the isolated, lonely and vunerable in the neighbourhood. Bringing together people in a way that has been lost in more recent times. No longer me first. Extremely refreshing. 

We also use Nextdoor website. Our's is a very rural area so our group includes several villages. The 'Covid-19 Action Group' appeared this week so the community is galvanising.

I am torn between maintaining the integrity of parents' cocoon and offering my services. I can't see how dog-walking or popping into the village pharmacy a couple of times per week could increase my risk, could it?

We are fortunate that our income isn't threatened. The economic impact on younger generations will be felt for many years.

Heard today that the schools are closed from Friday and all exams postponed. I expect my neighbour's eldest (GCSE year) will be ecstatic. MallyGirl's daughter is probably feeling less thrilled given it's her A Level year.

Anyone dared to check their portfolio recently? Trustnet helpfully (not) emailed me my monthly valuation this week. I haven't dared logon since the weekend. I couldn't resist the temptation to squint at the bottom line (oh ye Gods & little fishes!) and quickly closed the email. I won't be doing that again in a hurry.

I'm not normally blunt- the answer unfortunately is YES to the highlighted part in bold. If you mix with others even social distancing then you should not go into your parents home. My 81 year old mother is self isolating as per the advice and no one is entering her home at all. She'll chat through an upstairs window to myself and other family. She has amazed me- uses facetime and phones several of her friends daily, does her dog walking but at quiet times and avoids going near people and of course her garden is once again being altered about, her local Nursery delivered her bags of soil, plants and some stones, she paid by card over the phone and they left it all in her garden. I arranged the earliest slot for her groceries from Tesco- they will arrive next Tuesday and as she is self isolating due to age will leave it all on her garden path.

She still doesn't know how to e-mail or use the on line things but she is being careful. Strange times and it looks like we're all going to have to get used to a different way of life for at least 18 months, although no one really knows how long. I do feel for the youngsters, those exams cancelled and I expect that they won't be back to school until September if the aim is to flatten the peak of infection until June.

Slinky

Having received a second letter from my pensions company informing me my portfolio was down 21% from January (as at 3 days ago), I've instructed them today to liquidate 75% into cash and keep 25% in the least exposed part of my portfolio. I've already lost a six figure sum, I can't just let so much more slip away. It's been years of hard work and all of it from my own contributions as I've been self employed for the past 15 years. It was only more recently I could stick decent amounts in so I was in a medium-high risk portfolio which has now come back and bitten me on the bum. Ho hum.

I've also started selling shares in my ISA.

Who knows if these are the right decisions, but they would have been better taken last week. I can only hope that next week I can look back and think I did the right thing.

Username999

Slinky said:

I've instructed them today to liquidate 75% into cash and keep 25% in the least exposed part of my portfolio. I've already lost a six figure sum, I can't just let so much more slip away. 

Outflows from the funds must be enormous, I hope they can cope!

Sea_Shell

Our cash currently accounts for approx 20% of our total pot.   We're down significantly from the recent highs, but it's not as bad if viewed against our position this time last year.  Or am I just kidding myself with statistics!!

We've not sold or switched anything.  I can't decide if this is because of a "best do nothing" approach or "analysis paralysis".

As it was so eloquently put on another thread "squeaky bum time"!!

Health wise, have done my stretching routine and shall do my gel nails later.  I shall, at least, face this crisis with nice nails!!!

Look in the mirror, slap your face, "zero defects".

Slinky

The problem is looking into the future, who can honestly say where the end of this all is, and which businesses will survive the crisis? We are very fortunate to own our own home and have a decent cash buffer, but I'll be calmer knowing that we are much less exposed to the vagaries of this market. Only time will tell if it was the less wrong thing (the time for the right thing having been left too late due to our indecision).

CFrog

Slinky said:

Having received a second letter from my pensions company informing me my portfolio was down 21% from January (as at 3 days ago), I've instructed them today to liquidate 75% into cash and keep 25% in the least exposed part of my portfolio. I've already lost a six figure sum, I can't just let so much more slip away. It's been years of hard work and all of it from my own contributions as I've been self employed for the past 15 years. It was only more recently I could stick decent amounts in so I was in a medium-high risk portfolio which has now come back and bitten me on the bum. Ho hum.

I've also started selling shares in my ISA.

Who knows if these are the right decisions, but they would have been better taken last week. I can only hope that next week I can look back and think I did the right thing.

You're not alone.  Although my losses aren't quite that much, I to have moved what I see as the more risky stuff into cash.  I'm probably at about 60/40 % cash to funds.

MallyGirl

DairyQueen said:

We are fortunate that our income isn't threatened. The economic impact on younger generations will be felt for many years.
Heard today that the schools are closed from Friday and all exams postponed. I expect my neighbour's eldest (GCSE year) will be ecstatic. MallyGirl's daughter is probably feeling less thrilled given it's her A Level year.
Anyone dared to check their portfolio recently? Trustnet helpfully (not) emailed me my monthly valuation this week. I haven't dared logon since the weekend. I couldn't resist the temptation to squint at the bottom line (oh ye Gods & little fishes!) and quickly closed the email. I won't be doing that again in a hurry.

Yep - mini Mally is devastated at this point. Lots of tears. She was aiming for 3 A*s but has no idea if they would award that with whatever pseudo grade approach they come up with. I think/hope that she will be OK for uni as she has an offer from Cambridge and they don't 'over offer' in the same way as most other unis. They could just decide to take everyone they have offered to  providing that their pseudo grade is acceptable. She has gone from revising hard and looking to the future to realising that tomorrow is probably her last ever day at school.
I did take a look at the part of my portfolio that isn't in the company pension - that was depressing and has probably put at least a year onto our expected early retirement date. Hey ho. We are all virus free and that is a positive.
Both sets of parents are high risk so we won't be going near them any time soon.

atush

Slinky said:

Having received a second letter from my pensions company informing me my portfolio was down 21% from January (as at 3 days ago), I've instructed them today to liquidate 75% into cash and keep 25% in the least exposed part of my portfolio. I've already lost a six figure sum, I can't just let so much more slip away. It's been years of hard work and all of it from my own contributions as I've been self employed for the past 15 years. It was only more recently I could stick decent amounts in so I was in a medium-high risk portfolio which has now come back and bitten me on the bum. Ho hum.

I've also started selling shares in my ISA.

Who knows if these are the right decisions, but they would have been better taken last week. I can only hope that next week I can look back and think I did the right thing.

Ive started buying, not selling.