I have found that I love history.  If you believe history repeats itself, or things are cyclical in nature, maybe you can find solace for the present and future.

  If you know something about history, chances are you can tell a good story to someone.  I've found that some people enjoy being educated about something they never even knew happened.   I came across this book that looks very appealing if you are into economic and market history.  http://www.amazon.com/Panic-1907-Lessons-Learned-Markets/dp/047015263X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1226092573&sr=1-1   (Kind of ironic it was published August 2007...exactly 100 years after the crash in 1907 and right at the time this crash began)   On this website, which is about the book (not the book itself), I've only read through the introduction, but already have found plenty of pieces that could be used to share with clients or prospects.    http://bigpicture.typepad.com/comments/2007/11/the-panic-of-19.html   This is my first market crash, even bear market.  Let's just say I was alive during the dot com crash, but was unaware of it at the time.  So I can't speak about personal experiences, which is a negative thing in my opinion.   I feel the historical knowledge I've learned has allowed me to tell stories as they relate today to clients and prospects, and most of them thoroughly enjoy it.   If anyone like BondGuy and others care to share some of the stories you tell your clients,  I'd enjoy hearing them.