u/BraidedPube

I’m 23 still living at home still and I plan on doing that still for decent amount of time so I’m taking the opportunity to invest a very good chunk of my money in the meantime. I opened up a 401k around 3 years ago and it has around 47k right now. After doing some research I found it would be wise to open up another ROTH IRA which I did with vanguard and I opened up a brokerage account because I want to build something that I can touch before retirement.

I think I have a decent idea of what I’m doing, so far I’m putting around $400 a month into each as listed:

Roth IRA:
80% going towards VOO, VXUS, and VXF
10% to bonds (BND)
10% just sitting in the cash deposit because I thought maybe having a little bit waiting for a crash and buying a lot when it’s low would be a good idea

Brokerage:
80% going to VTI and VXUS
10% bonds (BND)
10% sitting cash.

I do have a lot of questions because I am pretty new to doing this but I think my diversification is pretty decent.

1. Is holding onto the cash waiting for market down turns a good strategy or is it just better to just throw it at what I am already investing in?

2. Does it matter if I am investing only into etfs and bonds rather than mutual funds. Would it be more wise to invest into mutual funds or does it really not matter?

3. Are there any other etfs or mutual funds I should add to my portfolio for steady long term growth? I am not a super high risk taker I just want something that is known to grow a very good decent amount over long periods of time.

4. Is there any other strategies I am missing out on that I could tap into right now that would that would really help my future self out down the road?

I’m 23 still living at home still and I plan on doing that still for decent amount of time so I’m taking the opportunity to invest a very good chunk of my money in the meantime. I opened up a 401k around 3 years ago and it has around 47k right now. After doing some research I found it would be wise to open up another ROTH IRA which I did with vanguard and I opened up a brokerage account because I want to build something that I can touch before retirement.

I think I have a decent idea of what I’m doing, so far I’m putting around $400 a month into each as listed:

Roth IRA:
80% going towards VOO, VXUS, and VXF
10% to bonds (BND)
10% just sitting in the cash deposit because I thought maybe having a little bit waiting for a crash and buying a lot when it’s low would be a good idea

Brokerage:
80% going to VTI and VXUS
10% bonds (BND)
10% sitting cash.

I do have a lot of questions because I am pretty new to doing this but I think my diversification is pretty decent.

1. Is holding onto the cash waiting for market down turns a good strategy or is it just better to just throw it at what I am already investing in?

2. Does it matter if I am investing only into etfs and bonds rather than mutual funds. Would it be more wise to invest into mutual funds or does it really not matter?

3. Are there any other etfs or mutual funds I should add to my portfolio for steady long term growth? I am not a super high risk taker I just want something that is known to grow a very good decent amount over long periods of time.

4. Is there any other strategies I am missing out on that I could tap into right now that would that would really help my future self out down the road?

I’m 23 living at home with my parents so I’m pretty much just pocketing everything I can get from working. I already have a 401k Roth I opened up maybe 2-2.5 years ago and it has 46k worth in it. I have my saved money wrapped up in a CD constantly. I have an acorns account opened up just because I like having a little piggy bank that I can just forget about. I was going to start investing some money into a brokerage account somewhere and hopefully one day have something 15-20 years down the road if something really bad happens. Some people tell me it’s a better idea to open up a traditional retirement account somewhere else, but I’m sort of looking at it like I want an investment that I can use later if I genuinely need without a penalty and I don’t know if I should be looking at it that way