Generally speaking, I've read in various Warren Buffett related books that when you buy a stock, you should pretend you will not be able to sell it for 10 to 20 years. That's a long time! Assume you buy shares in Google today, and the stock market closes and will not re-open until the year 2026. Would you be confident that Google, as a company, would still be in business? I'm not sure! Microsoft sure seems intent on crushing them. Therein lies the wisdom of looking at stocks with a long term perspective. In theory and practice, it keeps you from buying shares...