The Setting: After several months of denial, disappointment, and despair, I finally broke down and checked my 401K.It actually wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Still bad, mind you, just not quite as bad as the devastation I felt around the end of last year. My funds have actually made some gains this year.
At this rate, I might actually be able to retire around... I don't know... say, 12 years after I die. Yaaaay!Here's a related article on CNN Money.
The Setting: Just in case you weren't depressed enough, here is some gloom and doom from "eight of the market's sharpest thinkers." View the slide show here in which these experts predict what's going to happen with the economy over the next couple of years. My favorite line: "In my view, U.S. stocks are still not attractive." No shit.
The Setting: Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving that officially kicks off the Christmas shopping season. It's when retailers are supposed to start making a profit, moving from the red to the black.I just got back home a little while ago. I was in Sears' electronics department at 6 am this morning. I don't normally participate in Black Friday activities, but I was up early out of habit and decided to just do it. Nope, I did not get the 65-inch Mitsubishi LaserVue HDTV I wrote about a couple days ago. Tempting, but I decided to go with my second choice: a Samsung 19-inch HDTV to put in my bedroom.
The mall parking lot was about half full at 6 am and there were a LOT of people in Sears already (they opened at 5). My brother had brought a paper over on Thanksgiving and I was able to look through the ads, so it didn't take me long to pick out the TV I wanted at Sears; however, the wait in line at the cash registers took about an hour.
I haven't heard yet if the experts consider this to be a successful Black Friday or if it's more of a Gray, a Reddish Grayish Black, or what. Personally, I think we are still doomed, but hopefully we are on our way to not being quite as doomed. What's just below doomed? Screwed? I'm hoping that next year we can start turning this ridonculous economy around. Whatever happens, I'll be watching it all go down on my new TV.
The Setting: The failing American economy. All day, every day.
Banking Industry: We’re doomed!
Mortgage Lenders: We’re doomed!Homeowners soon to be in Foreclosure: We're doomed! And soon to be homeless!
401K Plans: We suck!
Californian: We’re, like, doomed, dudes!
American Taxpayers: We’re doomed!
Iran: You’re doomed! Mwwaa hahahahahahaha!
British Stock Market / Nikkei / Hang Seng / India Stock Market: They’re doomed; therefore, so are we, but to a lesser degree!
Congress: We’re doomed! And indecisive!!
[Pause]
American Taxpayers: Wanna go for a Starbucks?
Everybody: Yaaaaaay!!
[Pause]
Dow Jones: Uh…Can I borrow five bucks?
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