You may be special. You may be lucky. But your advice to time the market is like the powerball winner telling everybody that buying lottery tickets is a great investment strategy. Statistically, market timing is a sucker's bet (as is individual stock picking by individual investors).

First of all, you are not the only person to have lost a lot of value in their retirement account. You have 25 years to recover those losses... relax. You and your husband should have a financial planner (I suggest a fee-based planner with a CFP designation) that you meet with regularly, like every other year or upon an important change in your life, such as marraige, children, divorce or retirement. The planner should be able to provide you with a projection of how much you have, how much you need and what changes you will need to make to meet your retirement income goals. They could range from increasing savings, to decreasing expenses, to delaying retirement. S/he should address other important aspects of your financial health. S/he should not pressure you to purchase anything from her/him... although, if you feel that your planner has done a great job, you may want to work with him/her to implement your plan because s/he's already shown competence and reliability. Then you should take the plan and go with it, follow its guidance, save where you need to save, cut back where you can... its amazing how relaxing it is to have a plan.

You may be special. You may be lucky. But your advice to time the market is like the powerball winner telling everybody that buying lottery tickets is a great investment strategy. Statistically, market timing is a sucker's bet (as is individual stock picking by individual investors).

True enough if you're talking about short-term timing. But that's different than looking at a macroeconomic conditions and making an educated decision that the s$#t is about to hit the fan.

Individual investors CAN and SHOULD engage in long-term "timing", otherwise known as asset allocation.

Individual investors who need their money within 5-10 years should CLOSELY monitor the markets and adjust as needed. Again, not day-trading but asset allocation.

Even long-term (10+ year) investors should be smart and re-evaluate yearly to make sure they don't get burned by changing market conditions.

Don't confuse stock-picking with asset allocation.

Oh get a grip! You haven't "lost" any money. And Cary how could you go on and on about something so simple?!

You are doing exactly what you are supposed to do--investing in equities for long-term return. And long term is certainly what you have here. In fact your account should be buying more equities while they are cheap. The market will recover long before you have to retire. Why are you ashamed to be experiencing what millions of others in equities are experiencing? If your husband is angry with you then you have a bigger problem than retirement-account shrinkage. Like, is he as clueless as you or just mean?

Share your account info with your husband, have a good swearing and stomping session about the stupid recession and the idiots who caused it and then let it go. Don't open any statements for a good six months or even a year or two, until the market recovers. If your husband gives you a hard time, get a marriage counselor, and get one of those free financial counseling sessions Fidelity etc. love to give. Jeeze.

It's not your fault your 401k took a bath, everyone's did. You can't do anything with a 401k anyway, if you take out any money pre-retirement age the tax man will come collectin' with a very hefty bill. Plus, if your 401k is offered from an employer who does any type of company matching with dollars that is certainly a smart thing to do, it's free money! A CD doesn't give you a dollar for dollar match up to the first 3 or 6 percent every pay period.

Plus, you haven't really lost money yet, you have 25 years to recoup losses and make more gains.

So I wonder why you feel chicken to tell your husband that right now, your 401k isn't looking so hot. Is he the gloating sort? Are you someone who hated the "I'm so disappointed in you speech" from your parents? Are you afraid he'll be disappointed in you and you don't want to admit it? Are you a competetive couple and now you think he's won? Now if you think he'll verbally berate you, well then, you need more help than a financial advisor, but if he does pay attention to the financial news, I don't see how he wouldn't know that your 401k statements are going to be way way down from previous quarters.

Oh, also, stop the paper statements and go electronic, then you don't have to look at them unless you want to.

The US Dollar may not exist 25 years from now. The conventional financial wisdom of 25 years ago is discredited, shot down, buried in Hell. (1983. I remember it well.)

Put your money into things you like, things you believe in, maybe your kids, your church, a new set of drums, great old Zyldjian cymbals, a trip to Greece...

These sorts of things may give you ideas, generate opportunities. Better than all this out of date, boring, false stock market and real estate mumbo-jumbo. Invest in your own spirits, and give life a full shot. If you fail, at least you will have a great story to tell. Good luck!

The editors choice letters said it all...you only lose if you sell...but I'm sure you are not alone in the uneasiness that you feel, and the upset at knowing how the balance of your account has dramatically diminished.

Your husband made a well-informed and possibly lucky choice this time; how easily it could be in reverse...would you be angry at him?

I have taken the advice of Suze Orman to heart...and I blew it. She said if you can't afford to lose it, it doesn't belong in the stock market to begin with. Rather than pay brokerage fees in the range of $50 each for a number of stocks, I decided to open up an ING account, where there would be a minimal or no fee. But in the time it took for the account to be transferred, the market crashed...and instead of losing hundreds, I am down thousands.