Link: Experts agree: Get over your fear and get back into stocks – USATODAY.com

As usual, a useless headline.  Where were these “experts” in March of 2009?  And they’re recommending getting into stocks *now* – after a great 6 months, and after nearly doubling over the last 18 months.  And did they tell everyone to sell back in mid-2008?  These after-the-fact recommendations are not very helpful.  Tell us how to know when to get into the markets *before* the go up and how to get out of them *before* they go down?  Since neither they nor anyone else can do that, perhaps we should be pursuing systematic means of buying low and selling high – like a balanced portfolio with regular rebalancing.  Anyone who followed that method *did* sell stocks and buy bonds in mid 2008 and *did* sell bonds and buy stocks in mid 2009.

Bottom line – don’t waste too much time with those folks making predictions.  As Yogi Berra is supposed to have said, prediction is hard – especially about the future.  Instead of trusting your fate and finances to these folks with the dowsing rods and ouija boards, have a solid plan and stick to it.