Following is the performance of the S&P 500 over the last ten years (from Bloomberg.com).
So, was 2008-09 a crisis or opportunity? What happened to investors who got out of the market during the crisis? What happened to investors who stayed the course and took advantage of the considerable dip in the market?
For most Americans the question is how did you handle your 401(k) or IRA during the last ten years … and today? There is a lesson in this picture.
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
The real opportunity for IRAs and 401ks that this chart doesn’t show was in 2010 when conversion to Roth IRAs was available to everyone regardless of income. If you converted ,paid the tax and stayed the course, you would have made it all back and then some and not have to worry about taxation or mandatory distributions in the future. Oh well, hind-site is a beautiful thing. If people have been out of the market, now might not be the best time to get back in. At some point, the FED will have to stop quantitative easing (printing money) and the market will reverse itself. We recently saw that happen when Bernanke just mentioned possibly reducing purchases.
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Good points all. I wish I had made that Roth conversion myself.
Dick
Richard D Quinn
Blog http://www.quinnscommentary.com Twitter @quinnscomments
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It seems that people should not panic. Instead they should stay the course. Panicking is never the right idea.
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