Social security benefits go up 5.8% in 2009

okie, I've already said that nobody can predict the stock market, not even Buffett. However, the principle of investing is to sell high and buy low. You see, I sold the gains I enjoyed last year, and sold a good percentage of that when the market was 14,000 on the DOW. I repurchased those funds when the market hit below 9,000 last week when many "sold" their holdings. They probably bought high and sold low - the wrong principle in investing. I still have 50% of my funds when I sold high in the event the market goes lower.

Please explain to me what I have done wrong.

You did right and we are all jealous of the fact that you are smarter than us finanacially I thought about cashing in but procrastinated too long. Now I have to set it out and hope.

rabel, You were smart to not follow the herd; they all reacted on fear - the most common way people make financial decisions. It's the wrong way to make financial decisions most of the time. The few times that may be justified are few, so it's still a big gamble by following fear and the herd; most of them go over the cliff by doing so.