What should I do? My investments are down and I don't know what to do? Should I be buying now, selling or waiting market out? What are successful investors doing? Here's a few ideas that could fatten your portfolio and give you a greater level of confidence.1. Stop looking daily at stock tables and mutual fund quotes. Take long-term approach and don't worry about day-to-day activities of your funds. A buy and hold investor doesn't worry about short- term fluctuations of market. They ignore daily market reports and news headlines.
2. Think about when you will need your investment funds. If you've got a long time before you need money, you'll be able to sit tight through a long bear market.
3. Remember to look at statistics and past history of stock market. Over past 75 years worst 30-year stretch for stocks was 3 decades through August 1959. According to Chicago's Ibbotson Associates, stocks climbed 7.8% a year, enough to turn $10,000 into $95,000.
4. Consider increasing amount you invest. At today's depressed stock prices you can get more shares for your money. Think of it as a sale on stocks.
5. The future is uncertain and no one know which sectors might lead way next. To ensure that you get a piece of action, diversify. Diversifying also cushions effect of downturns that affect just one market segment.