If you spend your energies looking for and analysing situations not closely followed by other informed investors, your chance of finding bargains greatly increases.

Over the long term, despite significant drops from time to time, stocks (especially an intelligently selected stock portfolio) will be one of your best investment options. The trick is to GET to the long term. Think in terms of 5 years, 10 years and longer. Do your planning and asset allocation ahead of time. Choose a portion of your assets to invest in the stock market - and stick with it! Yes, the bad times will come, but over the truly long term, the good times will win out - and I hope the lessons from 2008 will help get you there to enjoy them.

I wait until an investment idea is so good, it hits me over the head like an anvil.

We are busy surviving, herding, fixating on what just happened, and being overconfident!

Figure out what something is worth and pay a lot less.

Look down, not up, when making your initial investment decision. If you don’t lose money, most of the remaining alternatives are good ones.

I don't know too many people that are good at timing the market relative to macro-economic events.