Investors have a had a rough go of it lately. The ugly specter of the European debt crisis has returned once again, and investors (understandably) are not thrilled. After elections brought leftist (and in some cases anti-austerity) parties into power in France, but especially in Greece, it once again appears that a teetering Europe could snuff out what could be best characterized as a "fragile" global recover. It's these same fears that have had markets in a fit of late. The Dow Jones Industrial Average
Fool me once...
It's moments like these where investors need to circle their proverbial wagons. For the investor with an extended time horizon, a falling market can actually be a good thing. Last year, when the global debt crisis reached its crescendo, I shied away from getting scooping up companies I loved for fear of things getting worse. Apple
Won't get fooled again
My lesson in personal stupidity does circle us back to a sensible way forward for most investors. As things get cheaper, focus on finding stocks that you're comfortable owning for a long time (think 10-plus years). One company in my crosshairs is fast-food blue chip McDonald's
The Fool also thinks it's identified three more stocks that share these kinds of winning characteristics. We detail them in our retirement-focused research report, which you can grab a copy of by just clicking here.
Remember, as with any risky activity (of which investing certainly is one), you'll never see an opportunity perfectly until it's passed you by.