If you can't find any companies that you think are attractive, put your money in the bank until you discover some.

The best stock to buy is the one you already own.

Charts are great for predicting the past.

People who want to know how stocks fared on any given day ask, "Where did the Dow close?" I'm more interested in how many stocks went up versus how many went down. These so-called advance/decline numbers paint a more realistic picture.

Spend at least as much time researching a stock as you would choosing a refrigerator.

If you have the stomach for stocks, but neither the time nor the inclination to do the homework, invest in equity mutual funds.

If you can follow only one bit of data, follow the earnings - assuming the company in question has earnings. I subscribe to the crusty notion that sooner or later earnings make or break an investment in equities. What the stock price does today, tomorrow, or next week is only a distraction.