Thought I would post this here as recently a lot of my friends have been wracked by fear amidst some of the worst financial times since the great depression. I have been asked by many on what to do in times like these, and I feel there are more of you out there. Hope this helps.

If you have been investing for retirement through your 401ks, 403bs etc and IRA accts, and are well diversified across all components of the market, please do not change course. The key word here is if you were 'well diversified' to begin with. Also, chasing equity based securities (mutual funds, ETFs to name a few) is not enough diversification, so please make sure to add non equity exposure as well-- more so if you are already in your 40s. Remember, this is long term investing. Just make sure you rebalance your portfolio over time to prevent a 'bubble' buildup.

If you have been investing for the short term, lets hope you did not purchase anything that was  equity based over the past 12 months in hopes of a quick profit. If you did, do not make the mistake of selling it now and realize your losses. Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule (we now call them the 'lehmans' of the world) where you should cut your losses and get out for the most part.

And finally, if you have money sitting in cash at the moment and have no short term needs for it, you could not have asked for a better time to jump start your retirement savings--talk about a unexpected Dashain gift! Everything is trading at a discount right now. Consider investing that in a well diversified portfolio. As always do your due diligence.

I would ask some one like Emini trader (where are you?) to start a thread that discusses investment opportunities in times like these. I am not as well versed in daily market gyrations as he is, but I promise to be a contributor as well. I hope all our Nepalese brethren emerge as winners in this latest 'fire sale' that is gripping the street!