Though they are low cost, index funds do not give out good dividends unlike blue chips. Buying low and selling high is not as hard as “wiseinvestor” made it out to be. You don’t need complex charts and metrics. Those are tools for RMs and fund managers to confuse you. Just read the papers or watch the news to get a sense of the economy. When economy is bad, buy; when good, sell. Admittedly, an average adult would have only 3 or 4 good chances in his life to really exploit this strategy to the max.