Not quite true, as I did buy Nortel stock a while ago, and it's worth $0 now.

If you panic sold in 2008 and 2009, you then missed out on a rally of epic proportions.

I continued to contribute every month to my 401(k) - even as month after month, it lost more and more value. But each month, my dollars bought more of the devalued stocks, and then, on the turnaround, I watched as my holdings increased by 5 figures in a matter of days. The stock market is a 25 year + game, and it's only part of the game. 10 Year TIPS for some of your holdings, and a bit of bonds and some nice, juicy ultra-high risk stuff for money you can afford to waste - because it pays so well. Read "Black Swan" and enjoy.