The DJIA just finished the best quarter it has had in the past decade. Gotta love those smoke and mirrors.

Good for you, Dave......now pull your head out before the inevitable happens.

Nothing is inevitable about the market. But I have taken some nice profits. Those who thought they knew what was inevitable last year - not so much.

well, I wish you well

Heck with Chuck Schwab, I'm signing up for the Vedder Investment Newsletter.

Right after our current President took office in early 2009, for some strange reason I thought people would now want to be stocking up on more firearms.

500 shares Sturm Ruger (RGR) @ 12.20 / share

Just three years later.... 49.00 / share.

Happiness is a warm gun.

BB:

Good on you. I tend to buy stocks of companies I like, that seem to be producing a quality product, the consumers likes. That's is why I bought AAPL, SBUX, and F. Since early 2009 Ford went from $1.75 to $12.00 a share.

You didn't make chit unless you sold. Everthing else is old man stock market masturbation.

Keep strokin' buddy....

Geeze Dave... I was just saying that there are several attractive ways to have played the market in the last few years. I don't live up that way anymore and don't drink SBUX or own one of them fancy facebook tablets but as you say, that was a very smart way to play the market for the last few years.

Us poor country boys down this a way just gotta go with whut we nose when it does come to pickin an investment vehicle.

RvW is right. You don't make unless you sell and you don't lose unless you sell.

Of course, you could sell on Monday, Dave, and tell RvW you just did some market masturbation across his face............but that would be a little weird.

And slabby is right, too..........the market tanking IS inevitable. So is the market gaining it back after it tanks. That's what it does. When somebody here can predict WHEN it's going to tank, then we'll have something to talk about.

Go ahead - name the day/week/month it's going to tank.

I know it will.

That's what it does.

Everyone's need for stability is different, depending on your age and financial situation. It probably makes sense for you to get the majority of your money out of the market, but it doesn't for me.

Just save enough out to buy diesel for the backhoe to dig it up when you need it.

One old rule of thumb that I try to follow is to have the same porportion in stocks as your age. Someone like Dan, who is 29, should have roughly 70% in the market. For me that's more like 30%.

I'm taking profits now because I was too heavy in stocks and because it's nice to see the money in the bank. That said, if you always keep everything in CDs or similar "safe" investments its likely your asset''s real purchasing power will eventually be eroded by inflation.

Chuck,

We all have regrets. I bought AAPL for around 85 and sold for 150, thinking I was sooo smart. Now it's 600. I bought in again at 300 but missed everything between 150 and 300. Such is life.

In what I thought was a fitting move I bought a new Ford truck with the proceeds from my Ford stock.

My best pick since the down turn has been Altria (mo). Bought in early 2009 like most others at around 17per share. At that price it was paying around an 8%-9% dividend. Now its damn close to 31per share! Never thought I would love seeing so many people smoking! LOL.

Well the markets are closed and I haven't seen a "money shot" so all is good in my world.