When to leave investments alone

With the stock markets' fluctuations, it can be hard to know when to take action or leave your in...  More »

With the stock markets' fluctuations, it can be hard to know when to take action or leave your investments alone. I've often described playing the stock market as "educated gambling." In other words, make sure you're "playing your cards right." After seeing the Dow Jones climb above the 10,000-mark, Brian from Waterville wondered if he should walk away. He asks, "Has the market peaked? If not, how do I know when it does?" Nobody knows for sure, but it might be an indication if you see a nice, long, run-up in the stock market. Whether you fold 'em really depends on how close you are to retirement, and how much you have in there. "The reality is you ought have the right amount of risk in the stock market, no matter what the stock market's doing, so if the stock market is going up or down, you have to have the right amount of risk in there that you can tolerate those fluctuations," said David Elrod of Generations Investments. In other words, don't keep your money entirely in the stock market.  « Less