Hi everyone and thanks for all the replies to my thread!
mtrimpe: I think it is a bigger sin to hoard the money away. I have been thinking alot about the
Parable of the Talents in the New Testament.
Dani: I recently took a class on the Qur'an which prohibits interest and the professor pointed out that there are other models than fixed interest, such as profit sharing. And it turns out that the stock market is more on this model, since you get returns if the company does well.
RT Wolf: To clarify, it was the market timing model of investing that I didn't feel I had time to monitor. The Lynch/Buffet model I think I will be able to monitor if I can get past the initial stock selection process.
MFA: I guess my sense of self-worth is tied up somewhat in my financial success. Also, I feel intimidated by people that are wealthier than I am. But I used to be quite depressed regardless and since finding Steve's site this is starting to lift, so hopefully my new more positive outlook can withstand financial fluctuations as well.
Also, to clarify, I have about 60% of my net worth in tax-deferred accounts such as IRA's, 401k's, etc. So really my options are (1) figure out how to invest this money (2) let someone else invest for me or (3) watch the money shrink to nothing as inflation eats my savings. Right now my husband invests the money and I run a report every year or so to check our net worth, but I am not really happy with this situation.
I'm about 60% through my list, I'll post some results when I get them.