considering whether I even want to stay in the stock market

[CouponJack]

Originally Posted by TimBomb

hey i'm not trying to be great at making money or 'beat the market' guru. I just dont want to ride the market 'helplessly' anymore. I want to be able to actively take advantage of dips, just like when you continue contributing to your 401k on a recession/dip.
I had 50% cash and bought Energy MFs on Oct3 and I'm now 17% higher than as of Jul21. lucky break? sure

All you did was catch a lucky break like the posters on here do once in a while...do not confuse strategy w/outcome.

Sorry Tim, but its a terrible strategy to try to make money (net of commission costs & taxes) over the long term by market timing. You'd be better off DCA'ing like your doing right now and make sure your AA is correct.
Sure, its "boring" to most, but that's how investing and trying to reach your financial goals are supposed to be.


If these guys on Wall St. can't do it successfully, how do you think you can?

[TimBomb]

no fun and games, no genius, no strategy - I cant afford any of those timewise and expertise. I just want to stick to 'buy low, sell high(er). repeat.' than the 'keep adding shares, let the market work its way to prosperity'. I'll just wait for the next big news. I believe this market is very very different from what the 50+ yo people experienced in the past. you guys saw the growth and I'm happy for you. looking at how the internet has accelerated the reaction time of of investors,I now see how wall street uses this power to our disadvantage.
just last friday after thursday's spike up, i saw the same 'wall street slides' market update when major indexes only moved -0.3%. I do not know how the media and wallstreet is playing the game exactly but you can tell its all about misdirection. What I can do is get ready with cash and wait for the next wave. I dont have to time the very bottom, just low enough so I'm not the biggest loser and have a good chance of catching a ride up
If I make over 25% this year I'll probably keep doing the same thing getting nearer retirement but only on major dips

[mathjak107]

he will have to learn on his own just the same way we all learned about trying to outsmart the markets to make a quick buck.

[dhanu86]

Unless u have lots of money to gamble and get practise with more savy stradegies, I don't think the common man belongs in the stock market during these times.

[mathjak107]

in my lifetime, and ill be 60 there has never been a point where there wasnt a gloomy outlook and a wall of worry yet over the decades staying the course grew some nice piles of money. there were always issues around the world and the country that said now is not a good time to be in markets.