Let a professional manage the bulk.
Save up free cash for the right opportunities with expendible income only.
Buy during big dips, not when the market is hot - thus, I have been on the sidelines quite a while.
Buy only proven stocks.
i realize that I might not have bought at the bottom of the drop, but I certainly didn't buy it at the top, and I have confidence that it will be back up there again (as long as Bernie doesn't take charge).