Rule one is that stocks go up, stocks go down and markets from time to time suffer extreme correction. If you get depressed from how the market moves then put your money in real estate where at least you will enjoy a stable rental income.

Rule two is to do your own research on both what you own and what you are buying use a free service like Bloomberg and check the headlines attached to each stock daily. If you are offered stocks with no commission charge that your broker's firm has underwritten then they are dumping firm owned shares on their clients. Avoid these stocks like the plague.

Final advice is diversify. If your invested in a hot segment of the market consider sell half of a holding and buying into a cooler segment it will even out the bumps over time.