Who knows: maybe reality is actually having an effect on Wall Street, as sign after sign points to economy not improving.
Not one I wanted to be right on - but as I said a few months back, I believe the DOW will dip below 12000 in July, and I still maintain it will dip below 11000 by August.

I hope you have moved your funds by now as the DOW has officially fell 1000 points in 30 days.

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The most serious threat to the United States is not someone hiding in a cave in Afghanistan or Pakistan, but our own fiscal irresponsibility 2008 - David Walker, Controller General of the United States

I have been in a holding pattern have been since November. My pension plan is protected thank god. 401 k is self directed....fuc'em....

but hey jobless claims dropped ..

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We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile....

In my experience that fastest and easiest way to lose money in any investment is to react to short term market swings or volatility. Performance chasing, market timing, trying to pick individual stocks, making wild changes in asset allocations- these are all sure-fire ways to go broke quick. All serious money is invested with a LONG TERM time perspective. Personally, I have put together an asset allocation plan that lets me sleep at night and still achieve my financial goals. I have no plans of changing my asset allocation regardless of what happens in the short term because my plan is well thought out and matches my risk tolerance. If I do anything, I'll be adding to my stock holdings because I like to buy when things are on sale! My advice is to stay the course, it will pay off in the long run.

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"My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to
change it." -- Barack Obama

You are buying too early....it ain't done falling yet.
I moved my money last year...thankfully avoided losing $1000's like my friends and colleagues have.

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The most serious threat to the United States is not someone hiding in a cave in Afghanistan or Pakistan, but our own fiscal irresponsibility 2008 - David Walker, Controller General of the United States

I have to agree here. I've seen friends get cought up in this, they inevitably buy high and sell low. My retirement is 30+ years away, were going to ride this one out. It is depressing to open the quarterly statements however.

I think this is the sensible approach. I'm 29 and I know that in a couple decades I will probably not even remember this period and it will most likely be nothing more than a blip once I reach retirement age.

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"Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

I've got half in Canada funds and the rest in bonds.

America......with Dems running the place into the ground....is not a good prospect for the future.

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"We're not going to be bullied, we're not going to be smeared, we're not going to be lied about.....

.....I don't believe in coming in second." - Barack Obama

That's right, in 30 yrs, today's volatility will be a dim, distant memory. The best thing to do is "stay the course and keep fully invested". Add to your investments on a regular basis and you'll be just fine. Market timing is a fools errand, nobody can do it consistently.

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"My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to
change it." -- Barack Obama

You are wise beyond your years. At age 29 you can take solace that the stock market is in a bear mode. You'll now have the opportunity to purchase stocks at a lower cost. Then when the bull market makes it's inevitable return, you'll reap the rewards. Keep adding to your investments in regular periods.

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"My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to
change it." -- Barack Obama

My only advice to you is an old investment adage: "More money has been lost by trying to "time" the market than by simply staying the course." You seem to believe you can outsmart the market. I have learned that to be a humbling experience. Besides the potential tax implications involved with buying and selling appreciated assets, even if you know when to get out, you'll probably not know when to get back in! My experience is that it is nearly impossible to do with any consistency. Whatever you do, best of luck to you.

PS - one of the ways to avoid the 'losers game' of market timing is to properly allocate your assets among the major asset classes (Large Cap Stock, small and mid cap stock, US Bonds, International stock, Int'l bonds, REITS, Precious metals, Sector funds, etc..) and then stick to that allocation by re-balancing periodically. That way you can withstand the inevitable ups and downs without losing sleep. Another benefit of periodic re-balancing is it forces you to buy low and sell high......

__________________
"My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world. I hope you'll join with me as we try to
change it." -- Barack Obama