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I think this is a tough subject. While I think it is reasonable to assume that people here have generally done well with their investments, I'm not sure it translates into sound investment advice. An analogy is just because I'm pretty slim and fit at 5'10" and 160lbs doesn't mean I should be giving out diet advice to people. My decisions and habits may have very little to do with it.
My wife and I are self-managed and think we have a reasonable strategy with a mix of stocks in our 401k's, a mixture of index funds in our brokerage account and 529s, as well as cash. Gains have been nice and fairly stable over the years and we rebalance each year or so by purchasing what we feel we are deficient in, not by selling and then buying.
But that being said, a lot of our portfolio gains I think have come down to luck. I thought I was throwing away money by buying Apple stock in 2002 but I grew up loving the Apple II and even the Newton (anyone remember that?). How the Hell was I supposed to know that they had an iPhone up their sleeve? Why didn't I invest more?
But in the end, I am an ophthalmologist who can't follow the market more than once or twice a day. To me PE means pulmonary embolism, not price to earnings. So I love investments with long-term steady growth, preferably with a dividend, because I'm about 20-25 years away from needing any of that money (hopefully). So I've never been one to try too hard to buy the hot company or fund, but rather the stock/fund that I can see with potential for growth over the long haul. So I'm a big fan of Vanguard Index Admiral Share mutual funds.
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