Tell me why

One of the things they tell you when your company says your retirement fund is in stocks and bonds is to think long term. "Don't go selling your shares or moving them around on a day-to-day basis," the pundits say. "If you sell when stocks fall, you're selling when the price is low. You'll have to buy it at a higher cost when the stock goes up." A friend says that when stocks drop and are low, it's like when regular stores have a big sale. "That's the time to buy," he says.

Well, that all makes sense to me. OK, I've bought into it. I'm "in the know". I'm one of the guys who understands the stock market. I'm proud of myself. I didn't touch our retirement fund during the past two years when everything dropped. "We're being smart," I told my wife, "We're buying low and we'll sell high." Just like the big dealers do.

Tell me why, then, that the stupid stock market is so volatile. Are there that many "stupid" people who buy and sell on a daily basis? Are there that many "dunderheads" who try to sell as soon as a stock goes down a little and sell as soon as it starts to rise? Or is it all the people "in the know" who are doing that and laughing up their sleeve at me because I actually bought their little story? The stock market had a pretty good day today so our retirement fund inched a little closer to where it was back in 2007 but what's going to happen tomorrow? Where's the long term thinking from the big players? I guess you can't earn the big bonuses if you just sit in your office and tell your boss your thinking long term.