Generally speaking no. If you move out now you will make permanent your losses only to buy back when the market is higher. However, it mainly depends upon which stocks you hold. If they are really not very stable companies with large debt, and the market continues downward, you could lose more or even all of your investment. However, if you hold good companies with good long term prospects you may even want to buy more at these levels. At age 25 you can afford to take risks that old people cannot. And remember some great companies are paying a huge dividend as a percentage (yield) of their price these days and have great longterm prospects. Companies like GE and some large drug companies fall into this category. In the current environment it is fortunate that past performance does not guarrantee future gains or losses. Good luck and happy stock picking. JW