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Nobody wants to think about the bad times.

The widespread layoffs and job losses and the hopeless look in good employees' eyes. Formerly steady companies going bankrupt, seemingly overnight, because they took on too much debt or expanded too quickly. Huge one-day drops in the market, egged on by a panicking and discredited financial press. And a cold, empty feeling in your stomach as you look at your invested savings... your nest egg that you worked hard for your entire life... cut in half or more.

Most people simply accept that a "bear market" doesn't begin until the market is down 20% or more.

But if you start fiddling with charts and spreadsheets, you'll find that popular definition isn't worth much. After all, is it only 20% from an all-time high? That's not very useful in a period like the one after 2009, when stocks took nearly a decade to reach new highs.

My mind was racing the entire flight. Just how bad had things gotten?

A few months ago, I boarded a Delta Air Lines flight and got lost in a book while waiting for others to board. Within a few minutes, I realized there wasn't much activity around me. I looked up to see the door to the aircraft closing.

We're not celebrating the new all-time highs for the S&P 500.

If you subscribe to my publications, you know that we've enjoyed some great gains this year. And the market's rebound after the December crash has been strong. But it won't continue forever...

You read that right...

I hate doctors. They drive me nuts...

He's one of the most connected men on Wall Street I've ever met...

I first met him about 10 years ago at the Value Investing Congress. Ever since, I've enjoyed following his career. He's made the cover of Kiplinger's... was a regular on CNBC, Bloomberg TV, and Fox Business... and in 2000, he predicted the dot-com crash.

You're flooding our inbox with questions...

So we'll get straight into the topics that are on your mind.

I'm usually conservative when it comes to investing...

Some of the folks here at the office even tease me about it.

The cannabis industry is breaking new ground... and making investors a lot of money.

Each month, more and more U.S. states are legalizing cannabis for both recreational and medical purposes. After last year's mid-term elections, Michigan became the 10th state to legalize recreational marijuana. And there are currently 33 states that have legalized medical marijuana.

We may be our own harshest critics. But we're only tough on ourselves so we can be the best for you, our readers.

That's why last week, when I shared our publisher's Report Card results, I said: