losing. s&P, losing. I have no nerve.
 

Cash me in unless u tell me not to.

Just a speed bump.

I know how you feel.

Actually the S&P is up today. What your really saying is that you have not set up your investments to match your risk profile. If you determine the amount of risk that works for you, set up your asset allocation to match that risk, properly diversify across a broad spectrum of stocks and bonds, across all markets, you don't even need to watch the S&P or any of the markets.

Pick very low cost index mutual funds, own US, Europe, Pacific, Emerging Markets in the right mixture between stocks and bonds and just forget about doing anything.

Be happy to help you any way you need.

Usually a good signal that it has bottomed out.

If you do decide to cash in, just be careful where you put the proceeds. Over the longer term, stocks have tended to be the best place for your money.

No guarantees in the market. But I like what Warren Buffet says:
 

If stocks go down, don't panic and don't sell the stocks priced low is like them being on sale. It's the best time to buy. Then you have more shares to appreciate when prices rebound.

Warren says " buy when everyone is selling and sell when everyone else is buying! Sounds like great advice for me!!

If you panic and sell, you have guaranteed your loss. If you hand it there they will most likely rally and then the stock you bought cheap will make a nice little profit !

Here are some interesting articles from Larry Swedroe on the general topic of Investment risk and risk tolerance.

How much risk should you take?

What is your risk tolerance?

Depends on your age. If you are 80, perhaps not a bad idea to cash in but at 60, one may need to rethink. This is no full proof either since you may live to Syd Ceaser's age or better. Assuming your children are taking care of themselves well and said to you, you enjoy yourselves, you deserve the golden years. Even with financial planners, I went through Dot.com bubble and financial meltdown. No financial planners will say to cash in even if they know you are dying tomorrow. The most you can expect is to go conservative though that has disadvantages too. In nut shell, don't know the answer. When dentist recommends something to my teeth, I say to him not to make it last too long. Ideal is to deteriorate when I croak. It's same thing with financial advice. Can't do it. sigh.

Boy, I can relate to that about financial planners. In mid 2007, about a year before retirement, we went to a fee-only financial planner. First, he ran a simulation that used a 6% average stock market return, and predicted that our savings would last (95% confidence). Then he recommended a portfolio of mutual funds, containing low-risk dividend paying stocks. Guess what, almost all financial business. Since I was still hurting from the tech bubble, I only invested about 1/3 of our savings. Good thing, because we retired on the eve of the financial meltdown.

Even the best and well-intentioned advisers still used programmed standard solutions for standard client groups. And, the standard portfolio for retirees is still heavily weighted toward equities, on the premise that stock yields are the only thing that keeps up with inflation.

The stock market up quite a bit today. My portfolio up 10%.

Hurray! thanks everybody...I got in just in time for the govt shutdown fiasco, gained for a month or so and then kaboom. I hope for a few months of a good ride.