[steve8714]

The economy is sound...the market is strong...that doesn’t mean we won’t see a correction, though, nor that any such correction would be small (2% or less) or brief (2 months or less). Timers who get lucky may prosper, those who aren’t may weep.
“Bulls make money, bears make money, pigs get slaughtered.”
-Cramer

[cynwoody]

Timers who get lucky may prosper, those who aren’t may weep.

Recently, Schwab put out an article on market timing strategy. They back-tested five strategies for investing $2000 a year in the S&P for the 20 years ending in 2006:

• Invest the $2K at the market low for the year.
• Invest the $2K as soon as you receive it.
• Invest one 12th of the $2K every month.
• Invest the $2K at the market high for the year.
• Leave it in cash at Treasury bill rates.

Here are the results:

They also tested 62 rolling 20-year periods, going back as far as 1926. In 52 of the 62 periods, the five strategies sorted in the same order as above. In no case did invest immediately come in last, although it came in fourth during the 1962-1981 period.