<human>: Previous Post: 

I bought at the dot: 

Mint looking pretty depressing: 

I was hoping to get a better return than I-bonds or a savings account for a home purchase in several years.

Last time many people pointed out that these bonds have a 5-10 year maturity, and if I wasn't comfortable seeing 4% drops in value I should be investing in less "risky" options.

So, if these numbers make you hesitant, consider NOT making the same mistake I did:

* Past performance does not indicate future performance.  Such a drop in value only happened once in this fund's history - at the end of 2008 (hah, like that would happen again so soon! oh...)
* Figure you investment horizon, invest, and then don't worry about performance until the fund matures.  I'm planning to hold and not jump ship (that would be an instant $400 loss with nothing to show for it)

Give me a shortened version of the text
<bot>: Down 3.94% in nearly four months.  ~~You might want to avoid bond funds until the Quantitative Easing hysteria settles.~~ Be careful to buy funds that match your investment goals.