A FEW CENTS SHORT

I'm a few cents short. 

I'm a few cents short of putting gasoline in my car. Ain't it funny how the money can change our lives. I'm a few cents short of seeing you tonight, a few cents short of being where you are.

I'm a few cents short of holding you in my arms, a few cents short of keeping us from falling apart.

Those are the words of a John Michael Montgomery song from the past. Most of us know that feeling. Most of us at one time or another have been a few cents short. 

Today it's more like a few dollars. It's funny how the money can change our lives. And that's the big concern among investors if and when Bernanke and crew cut off the liquidity spigot. The proof's in the market's recent jitteriness.

Turning off the spigot finally is a newly sharpened blade. For investors caught on the wrong side of that action it could turn out like a dark and stormy night, a season full of rain and a horde of investment portfolios full of pain.

A popular gym saying a while back was go big or go home. Here it's more like get it right or get poorer.

The trend may be your friend, but politicians, bureaucrats and markets ain't. All three can turn into your darkest nightmare. Take your eye off the bouncing ball now and you'll most likely turn up more than a few cents short.