My 401K is up 711%. It dropped in value 67% under Bush -updated 1/20/2015-

[mikekohr]

Last edited Sun Jan 18, 2015, 12:12 PM - Edit history (1)

The Country is FAR better off, although you'd never know it from listening to the Republican leaders in Congress, Faux Gnus and even some here on this site.

The problem that remains is this is the recovery from the 2nd greatest economic collapse in history. It took over 4 years for FDR to end the Great Depression and unemployment did not drop to pre-depression levels until after WWII started. That's 11 years from the beginning of the Depression and a full 9 years after FDR, the most accomplished President in history, took office. And FDR had overwhelming numbers in both the Senate and House as well as an entire nation united behind him, sharply aware of the enormous failure of Hoover and his Republican allies.

If you want to avoid the long climb back from economic collapse quit electing the assholes that cause them:
-Republicans-

9 of the last 10 recessions occurred under Republican leadership as did all three of our greatest economic collapses: Hoover's Great Depression, Bush's Great Recession and the Reagan Recession of 1982.

see: History of Recession http://bureaucountydems.blogspot.com/p/history-of-recessions.html

[NoOneMan]

1. Dropped 67% and then increased 527%?

What, are you invested in volatile penny stocks or something?

Not to sound cliche, the stock market isn't the best indicator of the economy. These days its a good indicator of QE

[mikekohr]

2. Standard managed funds

the bigger point is that recovery from massive "F" Up takes time. It always has. If it was easy FDR would have done better, but even he, our greatest president, with huge majorities in the House and Senate, needed nearly a decade to undue the FUBAR of his Republican predessor.

People have short memories. History has hard lessons for us.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

32. really. I dropped probably 70% under Bush - but since then have gained

back only about 15% And I am in "managed funds"

[MrModerate]

3. Mine didn't crash so much nor grow as much, but . . .

My experience is similar to yours. However, a lot of people are still doing it hard. While I'm personally comfortably within the penumbra of the 1%, by definition hardly anyone else is.

I see class war coming over not just income inequality, but wealth inequality, and I doubt I'll have much choice about choosing sides.

[mikekohr]

4. I'll be on the side of the Democratic Party.

I'm surprized the Republican Party has bamboozled so many into voting against their own economic interests and the best interests of the country.

But I'm absolutley stunned to read some of the short sighted vitriol that I've seen on this board. It's as if everyone forgot the lessons of the Great Depression.

[MrModerate]

23. I'm thinking the rift, when it comes . . .

Will divide people by economic interest rather than parties as they're defined now.

When the plutocrats deploy their mercenary armies (made up of regular soldiers who need to eat, too) against the "takers," which party you last registered for is not going to make that much difference.

[avaistheone1]

5. What the heck do you have in there that went up 527%?

[Fearless]

6. Well had I had a lot of cash floating around mid crash

I'd have put it in AIG. And I would be a millionaire today. Warren Buffett saw it as well I seem to remember and bought quite a bit of it. It's up 700% from March 2009 and had split 1 to 20 in June 2009.

[mikekohr]

10. See Above. The reason it rose so much is that it fell so far.

Which in part also explains why:

President Obama is the greatest yearly deficit reducer in history.http://bureaucountydems.blogspot.com/2013/04/president-obama-greatest-deficit.html

President Obama recorded the biggest positive swing in monthly job creation in history.http://bureaucountydems.blogspot.com/2012/10/job-creation-under-president-obama.html

President Obama oversaw the greatest 5 year jump in the DOW Jones in history.http://bureaucountydems.blogspot.com/2013/01/accomplishment-class-results.html

-clip-
Over the last 4 years:
Dow Jones up 5585.8 points or +70%
GDP up 8.4%
Consumer Confidence up 27.7%
% who believe the country is headed in the right direction up 15%
Federal Budget Deficit down 21%
Federal spending as a percentage of GDP down .9%
Median sales price of new homes up 15%
Number of U.S. troops in Iraq down more than 99.9%
Then: 139,500 (Jan. 2009) Now: 200 (Jan. 2013) -end of clip-

I can not repeat often or loudly enough, if we wish to avoid the inevitable pain and suffering that are ALWAYS the result of economic ineptitude we have to quit electing the assholes (Republicans) that cause these problems and quit excoriating the people (ie: President Obama) that are trying to clean up after them.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

15. I think I could rec this post a million times!! Thank you so much!

Sending to my family and friends.

[muriel_volestrangler]

16. There's a lot of difference between a 'standard managed fund' up 527%, and the DJ up 70%

Even if you're measuring your 527% from the crash 5 years ago, it would be a return of 44% every year. That's more than Bernie Madoff promised.

Seriously, 527% in how many years?

[mikekohr]

18. Since January 21, 2009 to be exact nt

[muriel_volestrangler]

20. A standard managed fund has grown at 47% a year for 4 years nine months?

What's its name?

[mikekohr]

21. The increase includes my contributions and my employer's contribution and match

Last edited Mon Sep 30, 2013, 10:48 AM - Edit history (2)

My contributions have increased because my hours have substantially increased since President Obama's stimulus ended the Great Recession and increased our work load. My contibution is a % of my gross pre-tax earnings. At the height of the Great Recession I was down to 2-3 days a week at best. At times we had block weeks and in some cases block months of lay off. We are back to 5 days a week and getting overtime again.

Likewise the companies match has increased to mirror my own contributions. In addition the company lump contribution has increased dramatically as opposed to the Bush years as profits have increased with increased sales. It is overwhelmingly consumer spending that drives our sales and hours.

All of my funds are in Fidelity Growth funds. There is a higher risk involved.

[JayhawkSD]

7. I hate to tell you this,

but millions of unemployed people can't feed their families with your 401k.

Tens of millions of employed people who are in part time jobs that don't pay enough to live on also can't feed their families with your 401k.

The country as a whole is absolutely not "FAR better off," although you'd never believe it from listening to the Obama loyalists who are delighted that he has engineered a recovery that has focused on the stock market and the financial sector and has ignored real recovery for tens of millions of working men and women whose wages have stagnated or declined and are drowning in unsecured debt.

If I were you I'd quit bragging about your successful participation in the recovery of the financial sector and your fat 401k and argue for something for the tens of millions of people who need help. My 401k has done fine, too, but I'm not bragging about it because I voted for Obama to help the middle class and the working class, not to help the financial class.

[JoePhilly]

8. Unemployment is down from about 10.2% to about 7.3%.

During the same period.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

9. Are you going to blame the Republicans at all? They're the ones who are obstructing

the Jobs bills. They are the ones who have blocked every single legislative action that would have helped the middle class. Why aren't you pointing the finger at them? Why are you blaming only Obama? Please explain this because frankly I'm sick and tired of Democrats like you who do nothing but be angry at the wrong people.

[mikekohr]

12. Great Post Liberal_Stalwart71

It is the misplaced anger of many in our party that allows jack asses like the Tea Party to rear their misshapen swollen puss filled heads.

The vitriol of some on this board has driven me away for quite some time. It really sucks the life and hope out of me. Thank God for clear headed folks like you.

[JustAnotherGen]

14. My day to run around after you typing

+1


I'm so sick and tired of everything being Obama's fault and failure.

[mikekohr]

11. Thank you Captain Obvious, let me correct some assuptions you made out of thin air

I'm 56. I've went 5 years without a raise. I make less than $30,000.00 per year. I spend my summers chopping wood to heat my house in the winter. I have far less than 1/2 of what I will need to retire. If the present rate of increase in the stock market continues I'll just make it. But this rate is unsustainable. And I know it.

And I know the reason why my wages stagnated, my modest retirement is not likely to happen:
George W, Bush specifically, and generally the Republicans and their 80 year unbroken record of economic ineptitude.

And I also know that any chance I have of getting back on my feet rests with the Democratic Party, President Obama and his policies that are steadily pulling the economy back from the abyss.

I've looked into the black hole of Republican economic FUBAR. I never want to see it again nor do I wish my or your children and grandchildren ever witness it either.

LOOK WHAT HAPPENED WHEN PRESIDENT OBAMA'S STIMULUS TOOK EFFECT ?

-jobless claims-

[JoePhilly]

13. +1

[YoungDemCA]

27. +1000000000000000000000000000

[JayhawkSD]

28. To Liberal Stalwart et al

I didn't say Obama caused anything. I will stipulate for you that Bush caused everything. I'll even grant that the Japanese earthquake that caused the Fukushime disaster was probably caused by Bush.

I'm merely saying that he has not done much to relieve the suffering of the lower classes compared to the gains that the upper class has realized. Corporate profits, the stock market and the financial sector have recovered to above where they were before the 2008 crash. The middle class have not, and in fact wages have actually declined.

What has Obama done to releive the burden of underwater homeowners? In real terms and on a wholesale basis? Nothing. Token effort only.

What has obama done to really stimulate growth of full time well paying jobs? An under sized stimulus at the beginning of his first term, and since then bupkis. Ziltch.

Yes, the Republicans have obstructed, but he went out and made speech after speech after speech to drum up support for bombing Syria. Where was speech after speech after speech in support of jobs legislation? Where was speech after speech after speech in support of real help for underwater homeowners? Where was speech after speech after speech in support of labor unions that were being decimated?

Who has actually and materially gained while Obama has been in office? The stock market, corporate profits and the financial sector. Middle class working Americans have stagnated. Blame Bush all you want, but where has been the help that Obama promised? Missing.

[mikekohr]

29. Working People Are the First To Feel the Pain of An Economic Meltdown, and the Last

to experience relief. See ex: above about FDR and the Great Depression. It's always been that way and will always will be that way.

The pain for working people in an economic downturn is inevitable. Electing a Republican to the presidency insures that a recession/depression WILL occur. Don't like the pain? Quit electing Republicans!

-clip-
There are few things that are certain in life but this economic record of the last 58 years provides one. When a Republican is elected to the White House, there is a 100% chance that the economy will slide into a recession and a 50% chance that two or more recessions will occur.With an unbroken record of fubar, failure and foul up one would expect Republicans to have a (FU) after their names instead of a (R). -end of clip-

from: History of Recession http://bureaucountydems.blogspot.com/p/history-of-recessions.html

[JayhawkSD]

31. And how is that in any way a response to what I said?

I stipulated that Republicans were at fault for causing the recession and every other bad thing that has ever happened.

I asked what Obama has done, in real terms with persistence and energetic purpose, to alleviate the suffering of the middle and working classes and the poor.

And you respond by saying that Republicans cause recessions.

[Rozlee]

17. Like the song and gravity say...

What goes up, must come down. Is this another bubble? This is wealth creation with the benefits being concentrated at the top and no investment in growing the economy and creating employment to show for it. Corporations and banks are sitting on the greatest profits they've had since the Gilded Age. Which means that a lot of speculation is going on. We've been down this road before not too long ago and seen what it's done. The so-called reforms that were instituted to keep it from happening again are a joke and have no teeth. The money-makers and money-movers weren't punished and were even given golden parachutes. They're smug and know Uncle Sugar will bail them out again because they have too many friends in government that they own that will make sure it happens. It's kind of scary to me.

[mikekohr]

19. Rozlee, the dramatic increase in wealth for those with 401K's is but one

of many positive turn-a-rounds that have occurred sine January 21st, 2009. (see posts above).

The administration is targetting fraud in Medicare under the little known or hearlded HEAT program and cleaning up the off-shore tax havens debacle, (off shore tax havensalone cost the US treasury over $100 billion a year, which is over 1/7th of our yearly deficits and nearly all that ill gotten gain goes to the greedy bastards at the very top of America's economic dogpile).

All this.-without support of Republicans in Congress,- the same crowd whose economic therory has given us 9 of the last 10 recessions, or all 4 of the last 4 recessions to be more current, and 2 of the top 3 economic collapses in our history in the short time between 1982 and 2008. And Republicans are dragging their feet with regards to the newly formed Consumer Protection Agency and trying to kill Dodd/Frank reforms.

For some, I believe if President Obama cured cancer, he would be blamed for putting oncologists out of work.

[brooklynite]

22. But 401k's are EVIL...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017133148
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1017114795
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023289710
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002855507

We're supposed to HATE our 401ks...

[mikekohr]

24. I'd rather have a safe, secure, fully funded defined benefit pension

but corporate America looted and fleeced those plans to featherbed their executive pay, stock options and bonus'.

So it is what it is. But as long as we keep Democrats in the White House I'll be ok.

[Rfarmer]

25. Always go long under D Admin and go short or buy Gold under R Admin

That's just the way it is.....A Democrat Administration almost always produces a return of about 15% to 8 % return as compared to a Republican Administration.....not an opinion this is historical facts....this is what kills me about the Republican mindset and the party of the so called rich. I believe that the Dems always pump money into the country and Repubs always pump money into individual companies

[doc03]

26. If the Republicans don't get their way with Obamacare we may

take a big hit.

[mikekohr]

30. Republicans don't need to hold the WH to screw up the economy

They are multi talented at FUBAR, foul up, and "F" up when it comes to the economy. They are doing quite well in slowing this recovery from the House and Senate.

The answer to that problem is as appears above: "Quit electing Republicans."

[Norrin Radd]

33. I have about fifteen bucks total.

[mikekohr]

34. Update to thread, My 401K is now up 711%

To all the naysayers out there, it is clear now to everyone that President Obama is undeniably the most successful president of modern times when measured on his economic accomplishment.

If Republicans in Congress would agree to raise the minimum wage to 120% of the poverty rate (as it was originally set), and tie it to the CPI (as their pay is), then much of the remaining work that needs to be done in the economy will be accomplished. That and a revitalization of the Labor Movement in this country.

President Obama can not accomplish these last actions without co-operation from Congress amd/or without action and pressure on Congress from us.