My pension pot is taking a big hit

Thrugelmir

garyelder said:

Surety you must expect some return on it otherwise I might as well take my tax free lump out and get a small return from something like atom bank 

Then you've a lot to learn. Patience is a virtue if one wishes to be a successfull investor. 

dunstonh

Are everyone's pension pots still stagnant or still slipping, I expected my pot to rise but its still slipping but only slightly

Why would you expect it to rise?

It’s like a daily death by 1.2% cuts :-) for me across the funds I hold. A painful watch,  but watch is all I’ll be doing, it’s when you reach for sell/switch that you’re in trouble, usually. Bond funds and bond elements of broad investments getting panned last few days. Some of them haven’t moved in years! 

It will be interesting to see how you feel after the three years of losses.

Surety you must expect some return on it otherwise I might as well take my tax free lump out and get a small return from something like atom bank 

An economic cycle is 10-15 years nowadays.   You will get positive years, negative years and nothing years.  Over the cycle you would expect growth but for periods within the cycle you will expect losses. Putting your money in the bank because investments have fallen back to where they were 4 months ago would be daft.

Prism

garyelder said:

Are everyone's pension pots still stagnant or still slipping, I expected my pot to rise but its still slipping but only slightly

Since you asked last week it is up a bit, but that is irrelevant. This is the sort of stuff you look at over years not weeks. In 5 years time it could be still down and it shouldn't matter.

garyelder

so what the point in investing and paying fees if you think it maybe the same in 5 years 
I’ve got enough dosh to last me 6/7 years and live comfortably  I don’t want to be the richest man in the graveyard so I going assess it in 6 months time 

[Deleted User]

garyelder said:

so what the point in investing and paying fees if you think it maybe the same in 5 years 
I’ve got enough dosh to last me 6/7 years and live comfortably  I don’t want to be the richest man in the graveyard so I going assess it in 6 months time 

Most people don’t have enough to let cash be eaten by inflation and still last a lifetime. If you do then good for you

Prism

garyelder said:

so what the point in investing and paying fees if you think it maybe the same in 5 years 
I’ve got enough dosh to last me 6/7 years and live comfortably  I don’t want to be the richest man in the graveyard so I going assess it in 6 months time 

I have no idea what it will be in 5 years. It will likely be higher but it might be lower. If you didn't need any of the money at all after 5 years then really non of it should be invested. However most people don't have an end date. At least some of the money today might be needed for many years to come. Personally I want these funds to last for up to 40 years or more and the only real way of doing that with a reasonable pot size is to keep it invested, especially when you take inflation into account. Cash just won't do that but it better suited for shorter time frames like 5 years.

QrizB

garyelder said:

Are everyone's pension pots still stagnant or still slipping, I expected my pot to rise but its still slipping but only slightly

My SSISA (which I take more risks with than my pension) is higher today than it was at the start of the year.

Swings and roundabouts.

dunstonh

garyelder said:

so what the point in investing and paying fees if you think it maybe the same in 5 years 
I’ve got enough dosh to last me 6/7 years and live comfortably  I don’t want to be the richest man in the graveyard so I going assess it in 6 months time 

Beacuse most people are not investing for just 5 years.   If you invest for less than an economic cycle, you are taking an increased risk that you will have lower money than when you started.  Statistically, there have been very few periods where 5 years has not been sufficient to see a profit.   That is why it is often mentioned as a minimum.   However, there have been periods in the last 25 years where a 5 year period would have resulted in a loss at the end of 5 years or doubled the money at the end of the 5 years.

garyelder

And my pot is still dropping and the outlook looks bleak
What should I do 

 Just don’t look 

waveydavey48

Yes, just stop looking.