I max out my Roth IRA every year, but that's as far as I go with stocks. I don't understand the market, and just know, for certain, that I would choose the losing horse 10/10 times. So I just try to load enough bucks into savings that I can live off the interest.
I made $3 this year on passive income that way, so off to a good start.
I don't think the "experts" really understand the market either John.
My personal views are, that time in the market is more important than timing the market.
I invest every month like clockwork. Sometimes the market is up, sometimes it's down. Sometimes I get funds that are cheap, and sometimes I get funds that are expensive. Ultimately, it all averages out ( A.K.A., "dollar cost averaging"). Over time, the market ALWAYS goes up. Sometimes you have to be more patient than other times to see those gains.
Over the last 3 years, I've made more in investments than I have working. Granted, the opposite might be true for the next 3 years. Nobody knows. Ultimately though, I feel very confident that long term, the market will perform well. I buy index funds, so I'm not singling out any horse in the horse race. I'm betting on them all.