I must be crazy!!

[m3racer]

We all know the market is tanking but I can't keep myself from buying more shares. I've been snatching more shares of the Vanguard total stock market index fund this week. I hear everyone on TV saying don't put anymore $$$ in the market. Run for the hills. Oh well....it's only money...LOL

[Russell]

I've been buying stuff through my retirement accounts as I did before. Now I'm thinking of buying stocks outside of retirement accounts too. I've never done it before and not sure of the tax ramifications but like you said it's only money LOL

[disneysteve]

I'm still buying, same as always, in our Roths and my wife's 401k. I haven't stopped and don't plan to.

[m3racer]

I've been changing my allocations and moving money from my MMF into the index fund. I hope it pays off in the not so distant future.

[GREENBACK]

Nothing to be gained if by dropping out if you've lost a bunch and I'm definitely there. Might as well buy when it's cheap and hopefully make lemonade out of your lemons.

[disneysteve]

I've been changing my allocations

Now this is where there might be a problem. As Jim has said many times, you should not allow market conditions to dictate your asset allocation. Your allocation should be based on your investing goals, your timeline, your risk tolerance, etc. Whether or not the market is up or down shouldn't enter into the equation.

[maat55]

Glenn Beck says 5000 or less, but I keep shutting my eyes and buying.

[m3racer]

Whether or not the market is up or down shouldn't enter into the equation.

I agree with this up to a certain point. However, when the market is obviously down...and I mean WAY Down.....than I think it's ok to be more aggressive. I'm just following the principles of the great Warren Buffet. Of course I could be completely wrong.

[srblanco7]

Riding it all the way down and still buying. 401k, Roth IRA, 529, and Non-Retirement Accts. If everything completely tanks, my new retirement plan will be "work until I die at my desk".

[disneysteve]

I agree with this up to a certain point. However, when the market is obviously down...and I mean WAY Down.....than I think it's ok to be more aggressive. I'm just following the principles of the great Warren Buffet. Of course I could be completely wrong.

Of course, with the market way down, your allocation has probably gotten off kilter anyway and you need to throw money into stocks to bring it back to where it was before.

[Snodog]

People selling at Dow 6500, were buying at 14000. I am still continuing to dollar cost average into stocks and bonds twice a month. In fact we increased our contributions about a month ago.

The market is not always a good barometer of the health of the economy. When stocks were trading at 14000 in the dow, the real economy was rotting. Now at 6500 when we finally have exposed the rot and are trying to clean things up, everyone is getting out. Classic market herd mentality (sell low, buy high).

[disneysteve]

The market is not always a good barometer of the health of the economy. When stocks were trading at 14000 in the dow, the real economy was rotting. Now at 6500 when we finally have exposed the rot and are trying to clean things up, everyone is getting out. Classic market herd mentality (sell low, buy high).

True. Also, history has shown that the market typically recovers BEFORE the recession ends. All the people that are sitting around with a mattress full of cash waiting for times to get better before getting back into stocks are going to miss the recovery. Many people on this very board have expressed that they plan to wait until the market improves before investing again. Meanwhile, those of us who held on and continued to buy will take full advantage of that recovery that the other folks will miss.

[Snodog]

True. Also, history has shown that the market typically recovers BEFORE the recession ends. All the people that are sitting around with a mattress full of cash waiting for times to get better before getting back into stocks are going to miss the recovery. Many people on this very board have expressed that they plan to wait until the market improves before investing again. Meanwhile, those of us who held on and continued to buy will take full advantage of that recovery that the other folks will miss.

I agree it is better to hold. If you got out when do you get back in? When the dow is at 8000, 9000 or higher? By that time you missed some good gains. And what if you get back in at that level and it is one of these false rallies and goes back down again. Then do you re-sell?

Buy and hold is not dead.

[wincrasher]

It ain't gonna come back all at once. If you are watching the market, you'll see it flatten out and maybe start to pick back up. Then you can jump back in if you like and ride it up.

You'll never peg the bottom, nor should you try.

[swanson719]

I keep hearing people talk about buying gold. Such a lie. It's tough to buy individual stocks because of fears of nationalization. Never would have thought it would happen in America. I would love to buy $10,000 in GM if it wasn't on the brink of bankruptcy. The same of Citi if it wasn't getting nationalized. Wally World operates debt-free, so if anywhere, that's the place to go.