Hello everyone, this is who I am, where I'm at and... what should I do next?

[MustacheBeginner]

Hi Everyone!

This is my first post here.
I got a recommendation for this site from a friend so I went through articles, kept reading, educated myself as much as I can etc etc... very interesting and eye opening things, but I am still a bit stuck.

I am 35 years old, live in Los Angeles, have a middle-class income, don't have any debt and managed to save an okay sum.
Unfortunately it's not enough to retire just now :)
I am in the process of cutting unnecessary expenses like gym membership (working out at home now), going to Costco and so on.

I also have a Betterment and a Vanguard account and that's where it becomes a bit tricky for me.
Should I put a considerable amount of my savings into Betterment and Vanguard even though the S&P500 curve starts tapering out? Or is it better to wait (god knows how many) years and invest it when the curve suffered a huge dip, therefor taking advantage of the recovery? Overall I personally don't think the economy is growing as much as the overheated stock market might make people think it is. Yes there is dollar cost averaging by putting something in each month but why not wait for the upcoming dip in the curve? Markets are like seasons after all. On the other hand my savings are just sitting there getting smaller due to inflation.

Buying real estate in Los Angeles isn't much of an option considering the absolutely insane prices. Also I somehow have trouble with such a huge commitment and couldn't sleep knowing I have some $600K debt (even though it's the good kinda debt).

So I will continue hunting for the little savings that combined make a nice sum, that is for sure.
I am taking some longer time off work so I have enough time for everything including personal fitness, potential passive income streams etc. 
But what do I do with my savings? Invest now or be patient and wait?

Cheers & Thanks
A Mustache Beginner :)

[SwordGuy]

I'll give you my opinion in short form  - Invest starting NOW.

For the reasons why, check out this entire series:  http://jlcollinsnh.com/stock-series/

[MustacheBeginner]

Thanks for the link, checking it out now :)

[Altons Bobs]

Do you have any bond funds?

[MustacheBeginner]

Only a bit via Betterment to see how it works out. $10K at 70% Stocks / 30% Bonds.

[JumpInTheFIRE]

Nobody knows if the market will crash tomorrow or keep going up for ten more years.  The best way for the long-term investor to invest is on a regular schedule because it takes any emotional decisions out of the equation.  Market is up, buy.  Market is down, buy.   In the long run you'll make better returns by sticking to a plan than holding on to cash trying to find a good entry point.  Time in the market is more important than timing the market.

[MDM]

Invest now or be patient and wait?

If you do both - invest now and then be patient with your investments - you will likely do at least as well as Bob: What if You Only Invested at Market Peaks?

[MustacheBeginner]

Thanks everyone for  the quick replies.
I took 60K and put it into Betterment. Let's see how it goes, it's a first step... I still have a huge chunk  that needs to be put to work though.

I think the next think to do is a Roth or 401K. I am a abroad-born US citizen who moved to the US a few years ago so still a lot to learn here for me. Sometimes I'm a freelancer, sometimes an employee (film industry).

Cheers

[mizzourah2006]

The CAGR for he S&P 500 from Jan. 1 2000 to the end of 2015 was only 4%. From Jan. 1 1900 to the end of 2015 it has been 9.7%. So while it may look like the market has grown a lot it really hasn't done much over the past 15 years. The market is more often than not approaching a new all time high. If you wait for pullbacks you will be out of the market for a lot longer than you are in.