With all these banks and firms collapsing

[MattBaggins]

Which ones are safe?

My company IRA is in Fidelity and my personal savings are in Vangaurd. Am I going to lose everything?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. All I'm sayin'

is that my husband started buying silver Maple Leafs a while back. We trust Canada (and silver) more than we do banks.

[Vincardog]

2. Only the one that are denominated in US Dollars or rely on US Financial instruments

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

3. You will not lose everything any time soon.

[MattBaggins]

5. Well that was a nice reassurance

[dixiegrrrrl]

13. It depends...

I have been with Vanguard for years and years and trust them, but ...
I can't blame them if I buy a losing mutual fund from them.
so
it depends on what type of funds you have in there.
Me, I have only Vanguard Prime Money Market fund at this point in the economy, no bonds or stocks. I sold all stocks 2 years ago.

Fidelity got hit for playing fast and loose with some funds, SIV, I think.
Them I personally do not trust that much since then.

In any event, any stock funds in either company are down, money has been lost.

The problem with that is it will take a long long time to regain what you lost, and there is always the chance you could lose more.

Retirement accounts can be moved around and still remain retirement accounts.
My 401-k was in AIG, I moved it out to my local bank into cd's 2 years ago.
Both Roth accounts are in Money Market funds.
Our savings account is in cash at the bank.

The goal here is to preserve the cash as much as possible, until the bank/economy safety issue can be decided.

[whistle]

4. The Hoover style bank runs of the 1929 to 1932 period...

...all the time claiming that properity is just around the corner. Wall Street will dive tomorrow I tink Dow will fall 1,000 points by noon.

The hyperinflation of the U.S. monetary system (triple digit inflation by election day) will be the next event which will affect all of us.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

6. triple digit inflation by election day?

[MattBaggins]

7. Do you mean

Economists inflation of too much money

Or layman's meaning of rising prices.

[whistle]

12. Economists will never reveal the truth until after the fact, I'm talking

...about main street measures people like you and I experience every day. Just watch what happens to prices over the next 50 days

[maseman]

8. There's not much you can do

Pulling your money out of funds is risky and will be taxed pretty heavily especially from an IRA. Being diversified is the best way. Using three or four different banks, buying A LITTLE gold/silver, using some bonds, having some cash, etc.

[wordpix]

14. add to that owning a home that's solidly built and can shelter you in a storm...

[high density]

9. If Vanguard fails then we're all in for a world of hurt

They are in an interesting position because the Vanguard funds own the parent company. This makes their failure very unlikely unless there is a complete crash, and then your money wouldn't be safe anywhere.

[On the Road]

10. No, You Don't Have to Worry

even if Fidelity filed for bankruptcy, your IRA would still be safe.

[roamer65]

11. This is a slow moving steamroller that will run for years.

We never really started to pull out of the Great Depression until the ramped up war spending circa 1940.