I've invested most of my money in small company funds knowing I risked more volatility. I've rode out many 20+ swings barely batting an eye. I've still got a lot more than I put in. This time I'm angry, because the downturn is not caused by unforeseeable circumstances, but gross negligence on the part of executives, and the government especially regulators.

Continuous growth is not a pipe dream. It's founded on continued population growth, developement in undeveloped countries, and primarily by increases in productivity in developed countries. The problem is these factors have been neglected at the alter of executive mastery wherein corporate shell games accomplishes or bypasses these goals. Buy a competitor then flush their line so you need less people to support your line rather than focus on how to make your line better or more cost effective than the competitors. It's a short term plan that decreases short term risk by eliminating a competitor while increasing long term risk. The long term risk goes up because the lack of competition allows fat to develop in the system which then makes it easier for new competition to come from out of the blue and take your fat carcass down.

Regards,
Mark