If you are at all familiar with Jim Cramer or his show, Mad Money, then you might be a bit confused by that title. No, I'm not saying that I finally understand his methods and that I'll be foolishly getting sucked into day-trading in the near future.

No, no, by "Jim Cramer Finally Makes Sense", I mean that he's finally come down from his decades-long caffeine/sugar high and stopped all that crazy talk - Buy! Sell! Hold! Buy! Sell! Hold! Bear Sterns is fine! At least for a few minutes on the Today Show he was making sense.

His advice sounded strangely familiar...

Cramer, calm and near tears at times, said that he thought all weekend about what he was going to say on Monday morning. His long contemplations resulted in this sobering advice:


If you'll need your money in the next five years, get out of the market.

Wow. Really? This is somewhat sound advice, and I commend Jim for actually saying it... outloud... on national television. But here is why I think he's a big dummy: It's easy to say that NOW! After the market is downward spiraling. After the mortgage meltdown. After the collapse of bank after bank after investment firm. After the foriegn markets have taken a nose-dive. Gee. Really?! You think that money that poeple are counting on for college, large purchases, or retirement might not be there?!

You see, this is what Dave Ramsey has been teaching for years, Jim.

This, could happen at any time. The market, by nature, is volatile. If you need your money in 5 years or less, then it needs to be in a good savings account. If you won't be needing it for 5-10 years +, then you should be invesiting it in good mutual funds as you will be able to handle these swings in the market without flipping your lid.

Jim Cramer: Typically going in twelve directions about which stocks to buy and sell, had to come on the Today Show to tell the nation that he has new advice for these difficult times.

Dave Ramesy: Advice has not changed. Plan still works. Isn't selling stocks - especially at the bottom. In fact, he's still buying at the same pace he always does - slow and steady.

Did mom and dad ever read you that story about the tortoise and the hare....?