Originally Posted by BlackCrayon

Mortgage and bank accounts are very different. I'm sure you know that. Regardless of how devalued a house may get, you still have the house in the end. Its just always been my opinion that any money you have in the stock market shouldn't be there unless you can afford to lose it.

401k's weren't always the way to invest for retirement. Its a risk and people should know that. I don't even think we have "401k's" in canada. I have RRSP's and GIC's both of which while may not gain very much when the market does poorly, don't lose anything when it does either. But no, I don't really like to make money by investing. Its too risky and while it can pay out big, it can also bust big.