For a relatively modest cost, property owners can purchase insurance that protects them against most forms of unforeseen emergency in the same way as owner occupiers. This is particularly important, because they cannot always be on the spot to deal with matters personally, and tenants will expect issues to be dealt with quickly and efficiently. After all, that is what they pay their rent for.

Home emergency insurance is not the same as property owners insurance – it is an add-on rather than a substitute. If, for example, you have a blocked toilet which results in damage to decorations, fixtures and any contents you have in the property, this is a matter for ordinary buildings and contents insurance.

By the same token, however, that insurance will not pay for the actual repair to the toilet – that is a maintenance matter and not covered by conventional policies. However, home emergency insurance is designed to provide emergency support to you 24 hours a day 365 days a year. This includes not just finding someone to do essential work for you quickly, but also covers the cost, usually up to a limit of about £1,000.

Cover is quite broad and includes such events as: – Burst water pipes – perhaps in the thaw after a freeze – or the failure of guttering and down pipes; – Failure of domestic electricity, gas or water supply; – The total breakdown of a heating system; – Failure of the only toilet in the property; and other events – even pest infestations.

Importantly, there is also usually a level of cover for alternative temporary accommodation, so that tenants can get a good night’s sleep while things are being sorted out.

There are of course some exclusions depending on the type of landlord insurance – such as general maintenance, events within the first 28 days of the insurance and longer term work – once the emergency has been resolved. If there were not, the insurance would have to be much more expensive than it is!

It is therefore important that you seek independent professional advice before making any decision about your property owners insurance. You should always ask your insurance advisers what experience they have of dealing with residential and/or commercial rental property insurance.

Then, we could easily say that beef is to the western world, what lamb is to the eastern one; but steak recipes for such kinds of meat have common points that cannot be ignored. For instance, adding wine when cooking meat is perhaps among the most frequent shortcuts taken to enhance flavor and speed up the tenderizing process of the muscular fiber. Steak recipes that rely on red wine usually require laurel leaves, green and black pepper beans as well as several cloves of fresh garlic. Take one of these ingredients out and the taste will not be the same.

Preparing steak recipes with white dressings is another common element of most cuisines: sour cream, milk and flour are basic ingredients while the spices and the preparation specificity differ. Such steak recipes are ideal for any meat lovers as they can be prepared rare or well done, grilled or broiled. What it truly matters for the success of all steak recipes is the quality of the meat used; hence, fresh meat is definitely preferable to the frozen or semi-processed one. Try cooking the steak recipes at the microwave as little as possible since the flavor is not the same as food prepared directly on the stove or over a coal fire.

As for the possibility of learning new steak recipes, the Internet is probably the most comprehensive source of information since it provides more complex data than any authentic cooking book. When accessing gastronomic pages online, you’ll also find some steak recipes specific to other cuisines than the one you are used to; this is a good way of preparing a surprise for the family or a romantic dinner for your partner. Always be careful with the ingredient dosage; generally speaking, all steak recipes indicate the number of people the dish is meant for. If you are fewer than that, try to adjust the spice quantities yourself as they are the most likely to influence flavor.

Cancers are in most part are the result of genetic abnormalities, but not all abnormalities are the result of hereditary defects.

- In many cases the defects are the family traits.

- In many cases defects are the result of faulty lifestyle.

- In many cases, malignancy does not occur despite the DNA abnormalities at birth.

- Even if there are DNA defects at birth, they do not turn into cancer unless they are triggered off by such factors as excessive exposure to radiation or toxins.

So far as prostate cancer is concerned, the medical scientists have taken rather long to conclude that this particular type of cancer does run in the families. Most of these researches were based on the technique called ‘case control method’. This technique works in this manner:

- First it identifies men with prostate cancer

- Then a survey is taken on their families; it helps to find out how many relatives have the disease.

- Parallelly the investigations are carried on the families of men of same age, without prostate cancer.

- Now a comparison is made between the families of the patients of prostate cancer and the healthy men to arrive at a risk ratio.

- Most of the researches on the hereditary link of prostate cancer, are more or less in agreement that a family history of prostate cancer would double a man’s risk of developing the disease.

- Many of the researches however differ with regard to the degree of risk. But it has been commonly found out that: the risk is greater when close relatives have the disease. Risks also increase for those whose multiple relatives have been affected with prostate cancer, and also when the disease has been diagnosed at an early age.

Though discovered late, these findings have important socio-medical implications. Now the researchers are trying to find out the exact defects that lead to prostate cancer in some men and it will be a significant leap in the medical history as this finding will be able to warn the men whether they have greater risk of developing prostate cancer. Men with greater hereditary risks may be advised to undergo prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening 5-10 years earlier than at the usual age of 50. At the same time they will be asked to incorporate certain preventive measures in their lifestyle so that the cancer cells are not able to continue with their injuring tasks.

Here are some positive parenting suggestions:

• If you disagree about parenting plans, you can avoid the adversarial, expensive, and inflammatory process that comes with civil court procedures by using mediation services.

• Although the love relationship between you and your ex is over, you will always have a relationship as parents of your children. That is to say, that you will share many events in your children’s young and adult lives. These occasions should be valued and treasured, rather than just endured or used as opportunities to hurt one another.

• Remind your children that both parents will take care of them, even from different homes, and that expressing love or their other parent is allowed and expected. They will need to be reminded that the divorce is not their fault.

• Communication between your child and his or her other parent is vital. With young children, you might need to dial the phone so they can talk to the other parent. You can also encourage art projects to be sent to the other parent. Further, allow your child to have a picture of the parent he or she invariably misses.

• Separate your negative feelings about your ex from those of your children. You may need an adult friend, spiritual advisor, or therapist with whom to process your feelings so that you don’t inflict negativity on your children.

• You absolutely cannot make disparaging remarks about the other parent. Children lose their own childhood experience when they take care of their parents’ hurt feelings.

If a divorcing or separating parent does these things, a child’s feelings of loss about the breakup of the family is lessened. Though time helps heal the wounds caused by divorce, it is far better to minimize, through positive parenting, the damage that can occur from the outset.

If you can’t find the tickets you want to one of Bill Maher’s shows, just keep checking back with TicketSlash, which constantly updates its stock. Should you order tickets that turn out to be unavailable, your order will be cancelled or the tickets substituted for a different performance of your choice. All tickets to Bill Maher events are shipped by Federal Express.

For the chance to see Bill Baher live, your go-to site should always be TicketSlash.com. All of the vital schedule and biographical information about Bill Maher’s live performances can be found on TicketSlash.com. You can buy your tickets online or by phone, and it’s easy to request a seat at the front of the house, where you can get a great view of this outstanding comedian, or you can enjoy the show from a center of the crowd. Buy Cheap Bill Maher Tickets Here

We not only offer the industry’s best-priced selection of Bill Maher comedy tickets to satisfy out customers’ special requests, we also provide an extensive amount of biographical and professional information on Bill Maher. On our site you can find schedules for Bill Maher events, venue seating charts, directions to various venues, and background history on Mr. Maher.

A native of New York, William Maher realized he would be a comedian during his youth. He is a graduate of Pascack Hills High School in New Jersey and Cornell University. After his formal education, he headed straight for New York’s famed comedy club circuit. His passion for current events came from his father, who was an NBC news editor. Maher’s comedy act was definitely influenced by the constant political discussion that he shared with his dad, and now his show benefits from his witty and well-informed view of the current political scene, clearly putting him a class apart from some of his more silly-minded competitors.

In the 1980s, Maher toured comedy clubs and displayed his cutting-edge humor to audiences, but didn’t attain much success or fame. From the outset, he showed his courage to tackle subjects the traditional media avoided, such as AIDS. By 1983 his career was gaining momentum, and he took roles in movies and TV sitcoms. His first film was D.C. Cab, also featuring Gary Busey. Then he was cast as a sleazy lawyer in a sitcom called Sara starring Geena Davis. His other films include Club Med, Rags to Riches, and Out of Time. A little-known film called Cannibal Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death gave Maher his first starring role. Undoubtedly the film’s low ratings weren’t helped by its name.

And then in the late 80s, Maher appeared on cable television and was an instant success, finally finding his niche. He became a co-host of Midnight Hour, a late-night show for stand-up comedians on CBS, and went on to appear on The A-List Comedy Central and HBO’s One Night Stand. Maher was even tapped to work as a special correspondent on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. In 1992 Maher got his big break with the new hit network Comedy Central, where he landed his own comedy show. He likened his soon-to-be hit show as “The McLaughlin Group on Acid.”

And soon, people throughout the U.S. were watching Politically Incorrect. The show was an instant smash. Maher’s lightning-quick wit ignited the show’s quirky discussions of current events, soon earning Politically Correct an award for the Best Talk Show Series on cable TV. Maher himself was then honored by the Cable ACE with a Best Entertainment Host award. Soon after, the show was bought by ABC and put on the network’s late-night schedule. Multiple Emmy Award nominations followed in 1997.

Bill Maher continued his stand-up shows while doing Politically Incorrect, starring in HBO comedy specials such as Stuff That Struck Me Funny and Bill Maher: Be More Cynical. But Maher’s cynical remarks regarding the September 11th attacks slammed on the career brakes – for awhile. His show’s sponsors were furious with his comments on the U.S. government’s response to the attack. For what they deemed to be his politically incorrect comments, ABC cancelled Maher’s show. The final episode aired, and six days later the Los Angeles Press Club honored Maher for upholding free speech by giving him the President’s Award.

Maher didn’t view the cancellation of his show as a reason to silence his irreverent point of view. He used the print media to continue airing his opinions. And he authored a number of books, including Does Anybody Have a Problem With That? The Best of Politically Incorrect, True Story: A Novel, and When You Ride Alone, You Ride with Bin Laden: What the Government Should Be Telling Us to Help Fight the War on Terrorism. He also did a one-man show on Broadway, returning to his live comedy roots. And he was headed back to TV, this time in Real Time with Bill Maher, a live comedy series on HBO. Maher’s outspokenness and daring comedy always have and always will ignite controversy. His fearlessness in provoking his audience to think is perhaps his greatest asset, even though it may be politically incorrect.

If you are thinking of ways on how to stop your divorce, you should start planning now. The earlier you plan to stop your divorce, the possibilities of winning back your spouse will be higher. Here are some of the divorce advice for men to save your marriage.

- Never ever show out your desperation

This is an important divorce advice for men because if you start to show out your desperation by crying, kneeling down or begging for not leaving you, you will be making a serious mistake. This may worsen your situation and help the other party to determine the break up more firmly.

- Be a mature person and change your attitude

What actually triggered off a divorce? Was it because of your attitude? Learn to think maturely and dealing with your divorce should be done in a calm and cool manner. Do not attempt to scream or make a big hoo-ha. Both of you are grown up adults and I am sure you want to settle this peacefully. Try to explain that you do not want a divorce in a very peaceful and calm way.

- Both of you need a break

Another divorce advice for men is to learn how to give your wife the time and space to think of the marriage. She is definitely feeling confused and sad now. Tell her that you will respect her decision no matter what the outcome would be. Try to convince her to reconsider her decision during this time. I am sure she will be able to decide better when she is left alone.

- Show her your sincerity

If you are sincere to repair this marriage, you have to nurture the promises given. Let her feel about your sincerity in wanting to solve the problems in the marriage. Maintaining a good relationship is not for time being, it is forever. You have to learn how to keep a good relationship for long term. Show your wife that you are still the same guy that she fallen in love with initially.

There are many Great Divorce Advice For Men to win back your wife. Learn How To Make Your Wife Love You Again by showing her the affectionate love that you can give her.

Ever thought that gourmet cooking is not for you, or that you do not cook well?  Then it’s time to totally change your mindset from today . . .

Anyone and everyone can easily pick up cooking skills; younger or older, ladies and even the guys.  It doesn’t matter what your skill level is today; you can do much better and make great dishes like the chefs at your favorite restaurants.  And what’s more, the meals you cook will be done to perfection – your kind of perfection.   And you know what the best part is?  You already have the most important ingredient . . . you know what great food is!

Let’s show you the way . . .  Xperimental Cooking is putting YOU in charge – you’re the boss of the kitchen!  You choose the ingredients you like and whip up meals to suit your specific tastes.  Forget about strictly following recipes that are complicated . . . that requires you to buy special ingredients you will only use once then store till they expire . . . that calls for you to measure out precise amounts of each ingredient.   All that is required is for you to have fun and Xperiment with blending ingredients that you like.  Let your imagination rule . . . pick the items and create your masterpiece; from types of meats and vegetables, to how they are cooked, to what beautiful arrangement on your dinner plate.  Xperimental Cooking is also about you and the people you are preparing a meal for.  You know that each person has their unique preferences, so Xperimental Cooking is about helping you fulfill those preferences.  Sounds complicated, you may think? But actually, it is rather simple; especially after you develop the basics that will forever change your mindset on cooking and open up a whole new dimension of creativity you never knew you already had within yourself.

Now let us share with you the little secrets of Xperimental Cooking . . .  the A, B, Cs if you will . . .

A. INGREDIENTS – The first key is for you to build on your knowledge of ingredients, as they are the basic building blocks for a good meal.  You already know of many ingredients, now go and take a closer look; experience each ingredient individually and Xperiment with it.  Everything edible can be an ingredient in your creation, so you need to know and understand each ingredient; from how it looks and tastes, to its texture, to how it behaves when cooked in different ways, to which other ingredients it is compatible with, to what happens if you add more or less of it to your food, etc.  Since individuals experience things differently, you are your own expert; find out what you like and what you can do without.  As you have your meals each day, take the opportunity to study the ingredients.  Involve your family & friends and make it fun as you experience & Xperiment.  At restaurants, and when you travel, question the chefs if you have a chance and gain perspectives into new ingredients you come across.  For the computer savvy, you can also surf the web and quickly gain insight; there is tons of information online.  Try typing the ingredient you’re interested in on your favorite search engine and discover a wealth of knowledge at your fingertips.  As you get to know about more ingredients and become more aware of the characteristics of each ingredient, you will be able to expertly combine them to expand the number of new dishes in your cooking repertoire.  There are endless combinations, so keep Xperimenting; you will discover many winners to surprise your guests.  Have fun building up your own database of ingredients.

B. QUALITY – When you begin with great quality ingredients, you are certain to produce top quality meals; if you start with poor quality ingredients, it won’t come as a surprise that the results will naturally be disappointing.  Quality can easily be determined when you use all your senses . . .  Use your sense of Sight to look carefully at the ingredients.  Check the color to see if it is bright or dull, consistent or has blemishes.  Is the shape evenly symmetrical or distorted.  Look also at the texture of the items.  Your sense of Sight is the first sense that you will usually use when checking anything; and it is a powerful tool in determining the Quality of any ingredient.  Practice and see if you can tell what the Quality of an item is, just by looking at it.  You will quickly be able to use your Sight to initially screen ingredients to determine if they are worth a closer inspection or to move on.  Use your sense of Hearing to listen to the tone when gently tapping or shaking an item.  Does it sound hollow or solid, is there a rattling sound?  Hearing is not frequently used, but can be helpful in a closer inspection of certain fruits, nuts and vegetables.  Use your sense of Smell to sniff out fragrant fruits and the aroma of fresh herbs.  You can also detect items to avoid when they emit off smelling odors.  Train up your nose and your sense of Smell will come in handy when you search for Quality foods.  If you have the opportunity, sample the items before making your decision.  Besides checking that the Taste is what it should be, also observe the texture or feel it has in your mouth, when you chew on it, and when it slides down your throat.  This is also your chance to confirm that you really like the Taste of the ingredient before buying.  Your sense of Taste will be your most important tool when it comes to blending ingredients.  With a well developed sense of Taste, you will be able to determine what ingredients, and in what quantities, will go well together.  Finally is your sense of Touch.  Go ahead, pick up and handle the ingredients you are inspecting.  How does it feel in your hands?  Is it heavy or light, hard or soft, firm or supple, smooth or rough, dry or moist?  You can tell a good deal about the Quality of an ingredient by how it feels; you just need a little practice to fine tune and “get the feel” of things.  Practice using all your senses to fully examine ingredients and learn how to pick Top Quality items for your specific needs.  It is now time for you to exercise your senses whenever you go shopping for food.  Have a good time tuning up your skills in search of Quality at the markets and stores.

C. DESIGNING – Now comes the fun part of Designing your meals.  The first consideration is who you are cooking for and what are their likes and dislikes. Do take some time to ask your family, friends, or guests about their eating preferences, especially if they require special diets for health reasons, or are allergic to certain foods. From this mini survey, you can plan a meal that will delight everyone.  You can now begin to narrow down your choices; consider if you want to do appetizers and/or soup, what are the best choice for your main courses, and if you wish to make desert? Design a simple meal or an elaborate feast: it’s all up to you. Use your knowledge of ingredients to decide on what blend of ingredients will achieve the unique flavors you want. Also consider how the ingredients will look together, and how you can make your dishes visually appealing. At the beginning, you may feel more comfortable sticking to traditional flavors and cooking tried and tested recipes. But as you gain confidence after Xperimenting with traditional foods by altering their taste to suit your preferences better, then its time to be bold and creative; try to design something totally new once in a while.  It is also fairly easy for you to design meals to take into account differing preferences among your guests; simply separate your ingredients and add or withhold them into individual portions of your dishes.  In the Design phase, you may wish to consider the cooking style as well, since the way food is cooked will make a difference in the outcome in terms of taste and texture.

D. COOKING STYLES – Mastering many Cooking Styles is another way to increase the diversity of your meals.  Brush up on your cooking skills by not only practicing the various Styles of Cooking, but also by paying close attention to the details of the cooking process, what each Cooking Style does to your food  and the resulting appearance, taste & texture.  Xperiment with variations to the standard method (different temperature, time, sequence, combinations, etc.) and observe the results.  Learn new Styles as you come across them, and also try your hand at inventing new ways to cook.  There are many methods of cooking your food; some more conventional like Baking, Barbecuing, Braising, Roasting, Stewing and Steaming.  Some are more exotic like cooking meat on a slab of hot stone.  So do try out the various cooking styles on your favorite foods and discover which are to your liking.  Also Xperiment with combinations; for example you can first steam a lobster, then cut it open and put some cheese in before grilling for a short while to melt and brown the cheese sauce.  Think of new ways to cook, after all its just applying heat to food.  You can also broaden your knowledge and skills by observing how people of various lands cook their meals in special ways when you travel.

E. PRESENTATION – The final element is how you serve up the feast that you have prepared.  Food Presentation is the art of making your meals visually appealing.  Since the objective is to serve up something that will look good, Xperiment with what you think will look nice when assembled together.  If you want to keep it simple, just focus on the dish and what is to be put on it.  If you want to pull out all the stops, then go with a theme of your choice and dress up everything, including the dining room.  Let’s run through some ideas to move you along . . .  On the simple end of the scale, all you need to do is select a suitable bowl or plate and arrange your food on it, then add something to garnish.  The easiest is to place all your food onto serving plates for your guest to help themselves.  Select large enough bowls and plates, matching if desired, that can hold the amount of food you have prepared.  You can fill a serving bowl with soup and sprinkle some chopped spring onions on top to garnish.  Fish can be served on an oval plate, or one of those fish shaped dishes, and you can arrange some lettuce and round slices of lemon to decorate.  For prawns, try arranging them in a circle on a round plate, and put sauce for dipping right in the center.  You can be more creative when you do individual servings.  For the main course, you can simply lay out the meat, potatoes and vegetables on different sectors of the plate in a traditional manner; just remember to include ingredients with nice colors and arrange them in your chosen pattern.  Try using carrots or tomatoes to add bright orange or red to your dish.  Use corn, pasta or potatoes for a dose of yellow. How about tri-color pasta to really mix up the colors?  Appetizers and deserts are my favorites as you can really let your imagination go . . . and come up with really delightful creations.  Try using a Burgundy wine glass for your shrimp cocktail, then plant a stick of celery with the leafy end up on one side and garnish the lip of the glass with a circular slice of lemon for a lovely presentation of this favorite appetizer.  Now go forth and create visual masterpieces to serve your guests; they will surely be astonished at your work of art.  If you need more ideas, you can always look at how the chefs at your local restaurants present their dishes, or you can flip thru food magazines, or surf the internet for tons of ideas to get you on your way.

Now that you know the Secrets to Xperimental Cooking, all you need to do is to start cooking; after all, as the saying goes . . . “Practice Makes Perfect”.

Don’t over-exaggerate your ex’s good points and under-acknowledge their bad. Do not put your ex on a pedestal!

The funny thing about being ‘dumped’ is that we unconsciously build up our ex’s worth in our minds. We start to make them into better beings than they really are, erroneously making them to be more powerful and ‘needed’ influences in our lives. Unfortunately, while we are building them up to Higher Power status in our minds, they are ripping our worth to shreds in order to find the strength to leave us.

2. Accept It

Accept that the breakup did occur and that the relationship is over. By refusing to accept this you are only lengthening the grief process. You cannot keep a relationship alive in your ‘head’ by denying the breakup occurred, or by thinking about the relationship and rehashing things over and over. Whether you accept it or not the facts still remain: You have broken up. The relationship is over. And you will be okay. I promise you!

3. Put ‘You’ First

If you don’t find value in you, who will? Pamper and love yourself first and foremost. This is not the time to turn your back on you, but rather a time to embrace you. God made your arms just long enough to embrace yourself. Try it. No one is looking! Go ahead and put your arms around you and give yourself a huge, cradling hug! Of all the people in your life, you are the only one that will never abandon you.

4. Write Your Thoughts Down

Start your own personal journal about your journey from your heartbreak to ‘better-than-ever’. I know one man who kept a record of his breakup by posting on the Lifted Hearts break up board at http://liftedhearts.com, starting from his devastating beginning days, to his healed and in love again days, and then turned them into an awesome book of self-discovery and hope. You can find a great source made specifically for journaling through your breakup with the book, My Breakup Keepsake, found at http://mybreakupkeepsake.com.

5. Forgive Him or Her

Find forgiveness for your ex – and for yourself. It is impossible to heal without forgiveness. Understand that your ex isn’t looking to hurt you, but rather looking to find his or her own happiness.

6. Accept That You Love Them

Recognize that you cannot will yourself to not love someone. You loved your ex, and perhaps you always will. Quit beating yourself up over the fact and quit trying to find the magic bullet that will slay your love. It’s okay to love someone that you are not with, and may never be with, but it’s not okay to try to fall out of love with someone.

7. Make a Plan

Get a goal and implement it. Plan out your new goal and start with step one, not finishing until you’ve accomplished the final step. This goal could be to write a book, grow a garden, change careers, go back to school, or lose twenty pounds…having a goal gives you something to focus on and work towards. It keeps you from dwelling on what was and keeps you avidly looking forward to what ‘will’ be.

8. Change It Up

Get rid of the same-ol’-same! Alter your routine, rearrange your home, or remodel a room. Get a new hairdo, buy a new car, volunteer at a local charity…. anything that changes your typical lifestyle can be most rewarding during a breakup. Sometimes the old and the ‘familiar’ can be devastatingly sad when going through the transition from two to one, so change it up!

9. Keep Yourself Clean – and You Know What I Mean!

This is not the time to turn to alcohol, drugs, or one-nights stands in a feeble attempt to kill your pain. It only adds to your problems and can end up being a permanent reminder to a temporary situation. Even simple things such as energy drinks or too much caffeine can cause anxiety or escalate out-of-hand emotions to full-blown panic attacks – which are a very common occurrence during a breakup. Learn to cope with out-of-hand emotions by spirituality, soothing music, sipping tea, taking a ‘time-out’, reading a book, or – my favorite – walking! I walked myself into the sexiest legs and prettiest tan during my breakup. What an added bonus that was!

10. Date Again

Don’t worry about all the advice you hear about waiting to date again. Most of it’s bunk. Dating again gets you out of the house, where breakup depression can fester and turn into something far worse. Dating again always restores a shattered ego, which is a very common by-product of a breakup. Dating again may also show you that there are millions of other people out there that can be as wonderful as your ex, or perhaps even more wonderful! If you open your heart back up and let new people in you will feel better.

By Tigress Luv, the Breakup Guru

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While this is interesting, it would be more helpful if we could better understand these cycles in the market. Well, the stock market does tend to move in cycles, short term (also called cyclical), and long term (also called secular). Secular markets typically can last between 10 to 20 years, while cyclical markets usually last between 2 – 3 years on average. Think of a secular market as the primary long term trend, while a cyclical market is simply a shorter term cycle within the primary long term secular market.

As investors and traders, we need to understand where we are within these market cycles, so we can be on the right side of the trend to enhance our success. For example, the market was in a secular bull market from 1982 – 2000, experiencing a strong primary uptrend where the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased over 10 fold from about a low of 800 to over 10,000. Of course, there were short term bear markets such as in 1987, however, the easy money was made on the long side as the primary trend was up.
However, here’s where the danger lies: The majority of investors today have only experienced a secular bull market, such as the one from 1982 – 2000. Most of us have not experienced a long term secular bear market where the primary trend is mostly sideways to slightly down. The last secular bear market lasted 16 years from 1966 to 1982. Just to give you some perspective, the Dow Jones hit a high near 1000 in 1966, and hit a low in the 800s during 1982. In other words, the Dow essentially was flat for 16 years. During this time, the ‘easy money’ was not made on the long or short side, but by being being a good stock picker identifying undervalued opportunities, special situation stocks, and sectors that are temporarily strong. Understanding whether we are in a cyclical bull or bear market greatly enhances our chances for success.

The problem is that the secular bull market that began in 1982 ended in 2000. Therefore, while the stock brokers advice to hold for the long term was good advice for a secular bull market, it is totally the wrong strategy for a new secular bear market. The market entered into a new secular bear market in 2000, and as history shows, this new secular bear market will probably last at least until 2010 or longer. The market rally from early 2003 until now is simply a cyclical bull market within the new long term secular bear market. Holding for the long term will not work in this new secular bear market.

Let’s look at each secular bull and bear market of the Dow over the last 100 years. As you can see, except for the secular bull market of 1921 – 1929, secular market cycles last on average 16 to 20 years.

- Secular Bull Market, 1982 – 2000, (18 years)

- Secular Bear Market, 1966 – 1982, (16 years)

- Secular Bull Market, 1949 – 1966, (17 years)

- Secular Bear Market, 1929 – 1949, (20 years)

- Secular Bull Market, 1921 – 1929, (8 years)

- Secular Bear Market, 1905 – 1921, (16 years)

Secular Bull Market, 1982 – 2000 (18 years)

Let’s work backwards, beginning with the last secular bull market, which lasted from 1982 – 2000. The Dow increased over 10 fold from a low of about 800 to a high in the 11,000s. The strong primary trend was up and the best way to make money was to be long in your positions. Only the nimble were able to take advantage of the few cyclical bear markets that occurred in 1987, 1991, and 1998. These pull backs were also opportunities to establish new long positions.

Secular Bear Market, 1966 – 1982 (16 years)

Prior to the last secular bull market, the market was in a long term secular bear market which lasted from 1966 to 1982. During this time, the market essentially went sideways for 16 years. For example, the Dow hit a high of about 1000 in 1966, and low in the 800s in 1982. If you would have followed your brokers advice to ‘hold for the long term’ you would have been greatly disappointed. Sixteen years is a long time to receive next to nothing in return on your money.

The chart of the Dow below from 1966 to 1982 is a classic example of what a secular bear market looks like. There were strong cynical bull and bear markets during this time that caused the market to essentially remain flat for 16 years. However, there were shorter term cyclical bull and bear markets that could be traded.

If you could use a time machine and jump forward 10 years from now, I think this how a chart of the Dow or NASDAQ might look. Both traders and investors will need to do their homework, seeking sectors and stocks that present great value opportunities.

Secular Bull Market, 1949 – 1966 (17 years)

The Dow was in a secular bull market from 1949 – 1966. Here the primary trend was up, which is typical for secular bull markets. The easy money was made by primarily remaining long throughout the cycle.

Secular Bear Market, 1929 – 1949 (20 years)

From 1929 until 1949, the Dow was in the famous secular bear market which also defined the Great Depression. After the nightmare crash from 1929 to 1932, the Dow essentially went sideways to slightly up for the next 17 years, but did not reach its old highs near 375 until the early 1950s. However, there were cyclical bull and bear markets during this long term secular bear market.

The Dow experienced the mother of all crashed from 1929 until 1932. Then from 1932 until 1937, the Dow nearly quadrupled from a low of about 50 to 200. Then from 1937 to 1942 the DOW lost about half of its value from near 200 to about 100 (cyclical bear). Then from 1942 to 1949 the DOW recovered (cyclical bull).

Secular Bull Market, 1921 – 1929 (8 years)

From 1921 until 1929, the Dow was in a strong secular bull market. Actually, from a chart perspective this period was very similar to the more recent 1982 to 2000 secular bull market. The primary trend was up, and the easy money was made by buying and holding for the long term.

Secular Bull Market, 1905 – 1921 (16 years)

The Dow was in a secular bear market from 1905 until 1921. This secular bear market was typical of most secular bear markets, such as the one from 1966 – 1982, composed of mostly vicious cyclical bull and bear markets that result in a mostly sideways long term movement.

Hopefully, you realize it is very important to know the market’s primary secular and cyclical trend. During secular bull markets, the easy money is make by staying long. However, during secular bear markets, staying long produces poor results at best and you could lose a lot of money. Stock picking and following the hot sectors is important for success.

Conclusion

The current market entered a long term secular bear market in 2000, and as history shows us, this will last at least until 2010, probably longer. As discussed above, during secular bear markets, the market trades in vicious cyclical bull and bear markets. Therefore, you have to be careful in the stocks you buy and be ready to sell them quickly should the market turn against you. Pull backs or cyclical bear markets will present opportunities to take new positions once they have run their course. It is also important to find value situations and play the hot sectors. You need to be defensive in our positions and for those who are willing to take the risk, you may want to take some short positions.

Trading and investing is much easier in secular bull markets, and much more difficult during secular bear markets. Since we are in a secular bear market for the next 5 to 10 years, it is going to be much more difficult to be successful in your trading and investing.

Currently, the cyclical bull market that begin in early 2003 is close to being over and a new cyclical bear market will begun that will last another 2 to 3 years. This means that the best plays will be on the bearish side for the next couple years, that is, until the next cyclical bull begins.

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