CLARKONOMICS: The stock market has been stinking it up even more than usual as of late. In one example, the S&P 500 -- an index of the 500 largest companies in America -- lost money in the fourth quarter of 2008. That's a very rare occurrence.

The stock market is actually a forward-looking indicator. When financial types think the economy is ready for a comeback, stocks will start going up in value long before the rest of the economy follows.

So the news about the S&P is a clear indicator that the financial community is not seeing a light at end of the tunnel. There's no clear path out of the recession yet.

That begs the question: Is Clark an "idiot" for continuing to invest each month and each pay period -- a tactic known as dollar-cost averaging -- in a variety of mutual funds?

Consider this: Economists and academicians alike agree that the really big gains in the market happen on a relatively small number of trading days. So to wait it out on the sidelines with your money in CDs or a money-market account is to risk missing the big run-ups.

Of course, it's all about your age too. The younger you are, the more time you have to let your money grow. That's not the case if you're on retirement's doorstep.