After 25 years of investing, I have learned there is a continuous cycle of ups and downs, with a few really big ups and downs thrown in every 5-8 years or so. In the beginning I was more emotional about the investments. When stocks were up one day, I felt good. If they went down another day, I felt bad and thought I would lose it all and end up in a soup line. After riding the emotional roller coaster for about ten years, I decided to get off. I started buying stocks in sectors that were essential (gas pipelines, communications, REITS, energy, food, etc). While the prices still fluctuate from time to time, I sleep well at night and collect dividends. $BP, BP p.l.c. / H1 The only reason to "sell it all" and dig the cash moat is if you believe civilization will collapse and the stocks and companies will all be dust in the wind. (Mad Max or Walking Dead kind of world.) In that case, what will your cash be worth? If you really want to sleep even better, spread your investments around: Have dividend paying stocks in essential sectors, get some gold/silver in hand, buy some land in the sticks as a bug out location/retirement fortress, pay off all debts as quickly as possible, have a few basic survival items/skills and then invest more and live your life to the fullest, without being extravagant. Avoid articles that say, "The sky will fall any day now" will no longer alarm you as much. Be sane, keep your eyes open, but learn to avoid the panic that putting yourself "out there" can engender.notes from a user