It doesn't matter how high your stock price goes up . You don't make money until you sell.

But how do you know if it's high today? I've had lots of times in the last couple of years where I assumed it was at the top and it just kept going up. Would have left a lot of money on the table if I had waited. I'll invest with every paycheck no matter where the stock market is today. I've decided that either it's impossible or I'm just to stupid be be able to time the market.



I'll sell when I'm retired and need the money. Until then, it can just keep growing until I need it.

You're probably in the market with an IRA or 401K?

Low fee Index funds is what we settled on. Instant diversity.

You might want to look at Vanguard Target Retirement Funds

I just don't have the interest to play the game; my head is in the woods, on the river etc so I let the bean counters do their thing and I do mine.

KISS principle for me ... and thing are working ....But again, low fee is key and then just stay the course, steady as she goes.

If I had to do it all over again I would have made the following choices or changes. I started my retirement fund in 1975 and started adding non retirement investing about 1981 so we now have 40 to 45 years in our investment planning.
1. I put too much into deferred accounts early on instead of ROTHs. I am in about the same tax bracket or slightly higher in retirement then when working, saving etc. Not as much advantage to tax deferred if rates are the same and deductions go away.
2. I would have put more of my retirement savings in the managed mutual funds as you don't pay taxes on the capital gains while it is deferred and you just pay taxes when dispersed. I would have put more of the non deferred in index funds and avoided more of those management related costs.
3. About 85% of our securities portion of our investments is in mutual funds and 15% in stocks. Looking back I would have done better with about 70-75% in funds and a bit more in stocks. When buying stocks one does not need to buy high and sell etc. one can find long term growth and income stocks.
4. There are pretty good cash related conservative funds out there if one looks, but several need minimum balances and not frequent withdrawls, but with planning getting 3-4% instead of .5 to 2 is worth it.
To save money for our kids education and or weddings etc. I put most of that money in CDs so it would be there and safe, after 45 years of investing it would have been smarter to put those funds in securities for the most part as well as over a decade or two even securities earn better.
Bryce

The only stocks I buy are on guns. Seem like good investments.

Unless you do a lot of research, and read a lot of annual reports and listen to all the earnings calls, and you understand all that you are hearing and reading, I would avoid individual stocks. If you only can purchase a few companies, you will not be versified. A stock mutual fund does the research for you and offers diversity. I was in the mutual fund sales business for fifteen years. Now days, computer software analyzes many of their decisions.

An index fund is a good way to get in. Stagger your purchases a month or more apart.

I am no longer licensed.

Should have hired a smart person to manage your money, someone educated in the investment business. I did and have done very well, the better I do the better my money manager does. Hope I retire before he does, I think I may. Only time I handled my own investments, were used vehicles and about 15 house flips, those things I understand.

That plan does provide decent retirement income for many folks. I am amazed at the amount of folks that have zero retirement plans beyond Social Security.

Sell your house all your clothes everything you own live in a cardboard box let it all ride on Dogecoin. Just think of it as one big scratch off ticket