[samhass]

Boomer, I think you have to take the thrill of the chase out of the equation. You have to look at so many different factors when purchasing a stock. It's more about science and wishing you had a crystal ball to go with it.

[Rich42]

Well, don't be so pessimistic. The market was up 900 points during the same week!!!

[dbdavis]

Originally Posted by JohnN

rshoffer, you're right
My suggestions:

1)prayer
2)learn to really like beans
3)enjoy a comfortable retirement, just don't live too long

With all the negative news lately, like many of you I'm stressed out and worried about my plans for the future. There is nothing, or very little to smile about... until I read this.
Thank you for making me laugh to the point of tears. I've come to realize that I can't lose my sense of humor. I must move on with my life and hope for the best with the attitude that this too shall pass. I just hope it passes in my life time.

[Boomer]

This thread was started just over a year ago, and for some reason, I stumbled across it tonight, while I was looking around in the archives when I should have been doing something useful.

I am going to add a link here to an article that was just published in Kiplinger's October 2009 issue. It's a snapshot of the stocks that make up the Dow and they rate them buy, sell, or hold. While I think it takes a little more to make that decision than just glancing through a short article in a magazine, I still found it interesting, especially in retrospect, looking back to last year at this time.

The article also says that the Dow is so over as an index. Hopelessly out of style or something. (Oh well, I probably am, too. And I think my mostly buy and hold philosophy is also out of style. But every once in a while, I get rid of something. I have had two husbands, after all.)

I did pick up a little KFT and JNJ last spring. But just a little. The one I am beating myself up for missing the boat on is 3M. But who knows? I sure wish I had bought 3M though.

Anyway, here's the link. It's kind of interesting if you are interested, but not any earth-shaking, wonderful, sure-thing, stock-picking advice. That does not exist anywhere, as we all know. The most interesting thing to me is to look back a year. And I have to admit that I wonder if we are at the top and possibly in for a long, flat run........at best.

http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/ar...tml?kipad_id=5

Boomer

PS: Hey, Tony, I just looked and this thread is in the wrong forum. It is so old that it was started before the investment forum was in existence here. So maybe please back up the moving van and move this thread to where it belongs. (Geez. I am starting to sound like some kind of librarian. Just gotta get those threads all put where they can be found. Oh dear! Oh my! I hope I don't try to catalogue them. Give 'em all Dewey Decimal numbers. Then I will really start to worry about myself. I was perfectly sane when I started here. Really. Really.)