In this section: Risky Business? Time vs. Risk The Stock Market Chamber of Horrors     Look Out Below     The Waiting Game     Sorry, Wrong Numbers     The Wall Street Water Torture     Monday Nights at Denny's Defense Is the Best Offense

WELCOME. You are about to embark on an interactive tour of the more gruesome side of investing. Remember those car-crash videos you saw in driver's ed? Same idea. We've picked five horrific market events that demonstrate just how easy it is to lose money in stocks if you're not paying attention. Market crashes? Management fraud? We've got 'em. But it's not all bad news. Coupled with each of these disasters is a prescription for avoidance — a strategy for defending yourself and maximizing your rewards. The stock market can be a scary place at times, but as long as you're protected, it's clearly the best way to build your wealth. In fact, if you've yet to start investing, the fifth and last demonstration should be the scariest of all. Imploding stocks are one thing. But an underfunded retirement is a chamber of horrors all its own.