Would you keep investing in a mutual fund even with the current market?

The market is going down and experts are talking of a recession. Is it smart to keep my bi-monthly investments in a mutual fund or should I stop contributing right now? I definately do not plan on selling, but dont know if I should keep buying either. I am invested in Vanguard Star fund and will expect to use this money in about 8 years. Would a recession typically recover by then?

The investing is in addition to a sizeable emergency fund and a retirement account I already have. I am not too emotionally tied but dont want to make any stupid moves either. I am 24 if that matters on a time horizon

Investing in the stock market is always a roller coaster ride. If you can stomach the ups and downs, keep investing as much as you can. The market will most likely be much higher 8 years from now, recessions rarely last long.

Definitely do not buy into the funds now. I understand that you've written you don't plan on selling, but you should at least start investigating alternatives. The mutual fund game is a loser for retail investors:

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/se...

Absolutely! Keep investing! I personally have begun to change my investing stradegy. I used to invest a majority of my money in the stock market and mutual funds. With the value of the American declining, and fear of recession, I have begun to invest my money in an internation fund. I have been real impressed with JAOSX (Janus overseas fund). Although this fund seems to be risky, if you are young and have time to ride the ups and downs, the return will be much higher than most traditional funds.
Investing in an international fund makes since to me because their economies are growing, while ours faces the possiblity of a recession. It also puts more value in the dollars you have because as stated above, the American dollar is declining in value. Now, This is ONLY my opinion. Many have other opinions. And we all know that opinions are like butt holes, everyone has one and most of them stink. LOL.
Good Luck!

Most people get emotionally involved with their money. Have you ever bought anything on sale? The question is do you have other money to sustain you for the eight years. If so continue to buy low and sell high. The market cycles like everything from corn to housing. Pick a well managed fund and stick with it. I have invested in Mutual Fund for 30 years and retired at 50 with lots of market ups and downs from black monday to the 1st gulf war, dot com bubble, and 9/11.

Buying mutual funds is only beneficial when you are investing with a small amount, say $10,000. Once you get above that these funds tend to be a waste as you can diversify on your own and not incur all the managment expenses (1-3% typically)

With that in mind, whether you have a small amount or a large amount to invest I would suggest looking globally. Either with a global fund --if you have a small amount to invest, or by looking at some investments in other countries.

If you are looking for a steady income stream from the investment consider investing in income trusts. If you are looking for growth then look to the commodities that will be required from the global infrastructure boom. The U.S. isn't looking so good; however, the rest of the world is still in a bull market.

Look at Canada for example. If you were to invest some funds there you would receive your investment income plus any appreciation in the Canadian dollar compared to the U.S. dollar; this is tax free capital gains--since january the Canadian dollar has increase by 25% compared to the U.S. (tax free!)

If you are interested in Canadian investments visit this blog for ideas: http://investcanada.blogspot.com

In short, I would keep investing because using the dollar cost averaging strategy is useful, especially for mutual funds.

If you think they are good solid funds and still look as good as they did when you bought them then of course you want to buy more now. This is the time to start hunting for bargains. But you still need to look at anything you buy (stocks, bonds, funds) and make sure they still fit the criteria that you established when you bought them.

If you researched a new car - a Lexus - and you thought it looked fabulous and would perform well for you for years to come - would you all of a sudden decide not to buy because the dealer put it on sale? Well something must be wrong with it cause they put it on sale - I don't want it anymore.... just doesn't make sense to me.

no way,don't invest in anything

Yes. Over the long term, mutual fund investors will be sitting pretty while individual stock investors will end up getting burned if not properly diversified.

There is nothing so horrible about the current investment environment. The current weakness in some stocks is creating very good investment opportunities, especially in the financial sector. The S&P 500 is trading at a P/E ratio is not all that different from its long term historical average, so I am not that worried about a major correction.

I hope this helps.

Michael A. Weiss, CFA
The Editor
The Mutual Fund Investor.net
http://www.mutualfundinvestor.net