Don't Like the Up Days

[TomK]

I take it as a sign that I am on the right path that I am less happy on the days the market is up big and more happy on the days it is down. I hope that today's rally is only a pause in the recent pullback and that we get some more down days and some better entry prices on our favorite stocks!

No offense to those of you who may be in or near retirement and who prefer that prices go up up up.

[Dan Mac @DGSInvesting]

I've always found it so interesting that depending on the stage of your investing journey we are in we could have different goals for the market. For me, I have at least 25 to 30 years until retirement and am still in the accumulation phase so I prefer the down days like TomK so I can accumulate more shares at lower prices. However, for those in retirement and in the spending phase we would want our stocks to continue to appreciate.

That's why there isn't just one simple investing guide that can fit everybody.

[Kerim]

I'm in the same boat as both of you -- still deep in the accumulation phase and so would welcome a protracted downturn. Not so bad that unemployment spiked again or anything, but bad enough to hurt stock prices while I accumulate.

What I understand less is whether we would want to root for lower stock prices as a result of increasing interest rates and QE ending. Sure, it would provide lower stock entry prices for me, but at the same time it might change the decision-making and asset allocation decisions away from stocks.