Good info on selling, Greg, Thanks! I believe in the dollar cost averaging approach, so I will stay the course this summer & fall. I expect I will
a few times that's for sure.
I've been doing more reading on gov't sponsored retirement plans like 401k's. The author makes a pretty compelling argument AGAINST shuffling money into these types of retirement plans, namely because of of the lack of investment control, and that income from the plans is taxed at normal income rates.
Unless you plan to be "poor" when you retire, you plan to be wealthy when you retire and your normal tax rate at retirement will likely be HIGHER than the capital gains rate. For example, if you are retired in a 35% income tax bracket, your 401k income is taxed at 35%. Whereas your income from dividends and sale of stock in your brokerage portfolio is only taxed at 18%. Something to consider when deciding whether or not to max out 401k's...is your expectation REALLY to have a low income when retired?