[Vets_Husband_and_Wife]

We don't have 30 years for retirement. More like 4, and stretching if if we have to, to 5.

What should someone like us go into? We heard of a really good brooker,..but want some education on this too. Any safe suggestions? We aren't big rollers, just the small fry. If you have any suggestions for us,...Thanks!!

[applemac_g4]

If I were you, I wouldn't put one cent into the stock market. I personally think that there's still another few hundred points to be wrung out of the Nasdaq, and a few thousand to be wrung out of the DJIA before we hit a market bottom.

And unlike many here who think that a market bottom will mark the resumption of a bull rally, I think that the market will flatline for many years.

Finally, the downside risk to stocks in any environment makes them a poor choice for any financial goal that's 5 or less years away.

[steveegg]

Normally, I would say the yang of bonds (to the yin of stocks), but the nature of the third part of the stock crash is such that the bonds will be affected as well.

I would probably suggest T-bills. I know; that's pumping more money to the feds. However, that's still eminently-safe for the next few years. I wouldn't leave it in there much past 2009, though.

Do bear in mind that all I've got is a few gut feelings and some self-training. That gut feeling was that the indexes would crash again today, though the Dow is actually up 41 points, while the other indexes are down just a bit (and the Russell 2000 small-cap is continuing its crash, with another 1% drop thus far).