Chart's are fine if you are day-trading or speculating; for investing they can be used to establish an entry an exit time. I'll look at a chart to make sure I'm not paying the highest price of the day and may overlay a chart with dividend history and news events to see how much impact they have on a securities price. Charts can also be used to see if there is patterns in volume to take advantage of too. I use them for about 0-5% of my decision-making process.

For me, it's all about asset allocation, top-down analysis, and fundamentals. I use accounting figures, read the MD&A and contact investor relations if possible. Once I make a decision, I may look at a chart or may not.