The debate over U.S. health-care reform rages on. But why wait for someone else to dictate your future? You have many options -- if you're willing to take a vacation. If recovering from a medical procedure while lying on a palm-swept beach, relaxing by the hotel pool, or shopping for terrific bargains sounds good, then medical vacations may be exactly the right solution for you.
In bull markets, selling bonds to retirement investors is a tough job. Most folks -- especially those more than a few years from retirement -- tend to want to stick with stocks. And with good reason. Over long periods and through a full range of market cycles, stocks beat bonds.
The news is certainly getting worse. Bank failures are mounting, oil prices -- while they've dipped a little in recent days -- are still way up over this time last year, and inflation rumbles continue.
The other day, I spent some time with a friend who was stressed out about retirement. His employer offered a 401(k) plan, but he had yet to enroll in it. He'd seen friends make money investing in real estate, and he wanted to do that, too. He handed me some paperwork and asked me what he should do. (If you know anyone in the same boat, forward this article to them.)
Here at The Motley Fool, we've long been big fans of long-term investing. We love to point out how many very wealthy people have gotten that way not by frantically trading in and out of stocks, but instead by simply hanging onto shares of strong companies for many years. Look at International Game Technology (NYSE: IGT), for example -- its stock has roughly quadrupled over the past decade. Genzyme (Nasdaq: GENZ) stock has increased in value more than fivefold over the same period.
