I hope the recent volatility hasn't been hard on you. If it has, you may lack the kind of specific investing plan that provides confidence and stability through difficult times when the markets are moving against you. Let me encourage you to learn from this experience, and set aside time now to develop an investing strategy that's tailor-made to your family's situation and investing temperament. It was probably inevitable that someone would wonder aloud how the bulls would do against the powerful grizzlies that roamed wild in the area. It wasn't long before they were turning the bulls and the grizzlies loose in the same arena and betting on the outcome.
Many analysts believe the prospects for a severe bear market are on the rise.
If you need to cash out your stock investments in the next few years, you undoubtedly hope they're wrong. By Austin Pryor Written in late 1999 as Y2K fears were gripping many investors, these sound mind reminders are once again timely for soothing the frayed emotions of today's investor. This article was written in late 1997, following a period of jarring daily swings in stock prices. The suggestions here are equally valid in the volatile market of 2001. One of the more contra-intuitive propositions that I regularly put forth is the idea that one's investing decisions can usually be made with little regard for what's currently going on in the investment markets.