In my opinion, if you want to do well on the stock market (reliably) then it really is a full time job, just in the way that being an affiliate takes a lot of hard work to get good at it.
You also need to love researching stocks, be able to analyse the balance sheets better than the guys on Wall Street (you need an edge over them, or you may as well work with them), you need to have a very cool head and a natural inclination to gamble would be a very bad thing. Above all, it takes patience – very much like being an affiliate, I guess…
Saying that, even with all the ability i the world, when we have a period of volatility and fear like we are experiencing now, it becomes very very tough indeed.
My guess is that buying now represents a gamble. Of course, it could turn out to be a great gamble…