Ah, well said, noppenbd.
I must respectfully disagree that the stock market is not a fragile house of cards. It can be, that's more of a matter of how you "build" your house, and not the stock market per se.
To me, the stock market is more like my ex mother-in-law. Sometimes, she's very sweet. Others, she's cruel and ruthless. But almost without any doubt, she's just another woman I can't quite figure out.
But don't let any one of her volatile ups and downs set your entire outlook for the rest of your life. Or if you do, you'll also see that, in the end, she's still a woman who will be more good to you than harm in the end....
Did I just say that about my ex mother-in-law?