I have concluded that the only way many investors have of recouping some of the huge losses suffered in the past couple of years is to dump their mutual funds and begin buying individual stocks. Of course, this is premised on the availability of good ideas which can be generated by one's own research or with the help of a good broker. This past market downturn puts to rest once and for all the theory of buy and hold mutual funds because in the long-run you will benefit. The complacency fueled by such a view caused countless number of IRA and 401'k plans to fall to a point that is deplorable. It turns out the "professionals" were not as smart as they thought they were. To continue to have money with these fools is not the way to recoup your losses. If you search around there are some good stocks to be purchased that offer potential returns much higher than most mutual funds. I'll be commenting on some in future posts.