Greed + Fear = Stock Market Learn it well. Stock market is not for the individual investor; mark my words. The market makers love inviduals because they know how to rip the shirt off your back; they know how to stretch your spread and feed you the short end of the stick. I advise exreme caution whether you are long, short on the market or play the derivatives- calls, puts, futures, etc. Much better options Option A: Invest in targeted mutual funds or hire a professional money manager if your net worth is >100K. Take advice only from reputed firms. Option B: Only invest in the market if you have stock options for the company you work for or you hold a majority interest in a company. Otherwise opt for Option A. Option C: Buy a house and/or top up your 401K. Many individuals get excited because they 'only' see double figure-APY-like returns, i.e. Dell, and rarely know how to properly handle a downside (hedging). Even a long term hold won't dig a company out of its grave if it continually produces a negative cash flow! -SOAP