Dont Ask Your Broker

Unfortunately, most of you who are reading my column are suffering some substantial losses in the stock market. Whether it is mutual funds or individual stocks everything with mighty few exceptions is going down. Maybe you are just giving back some nice profits, but maybe it is beginning to bite into your original principal.

You are wondering what should I do? I know, I'll call my broker. He knows all about the market. Please! Don't ask your broker. I already know what he will tell you. The usual Wall Street smoke and mirrors answer. "Don't worry. This is just a healthy correction in a bull market. It will come back". It makes me sick to hear this kind of nonsense from a supposedly informed and intelligent (?) person. By the way, what is "healthy" about a 38% "correction"?

If this guy was so smart when he had you buy these stocks and mutual funds then why wasn't he smart enough to have you sell before you gave back 50% or more of your portfolio? He is working under the guise of investment conventional wisdom that is conventional but not wisdom. "Mr. Mushroom, you are in for the long term so don't worry about these aberrations." YUK! That is what you are - a mushroom. Grown in the dark and fed you-know-what.

There are times when you should have on only one position - CASH. Cash is a position, but brokers are not taught that. They never heard of it.

When I was a floor trader guys would come to me and say, "Al, what do you have on?" and my reply, "Nothing" drew a shocked look. "How can you be down here on the floor and not be trading?" It is very simple, I was there to make money, not to trade. Many times you should not be doing anything. It is the same for the average investor. He should be in cash when there is a bear market as there is right now. How long it will last I don't know, but I will know when it is over and the bull has returned. Your broker won't know because he has not been trained to make money, only to make commission.

Every stock and mutual fund you own should be examined regularly (preferably weekly) and a stop placed under each position so (just in case) that hummer decides to tank you will be out with your profit. Never let a winning trade go to a loss. You must protect your capital at all times.

Al Thomas' book, "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't Buy It!" has helped thousands of people make money and keep their profits with his simple 2-step method. Read the first chapter at http://www.mutualfundmagic.com and discover why he's the man that Wall Street does not want you to know.

http://www.mutualfundmagic.com; 1-888-345-7870

full-service cleaning Des Plaines ...

In The News:

Safari's Notify Me feature and Google's price-tracking tools can monitor products and send alerts when prices drop on your iPhone or Android.

George Weiner built PACspam.org to trace who sends nonstop political fundraising texts after blocking numbers repeatedly failed to stop the messages.

A dedicated VPN IP address may reduce frustrating CAPTCHAs and bank login security checks by giving websites a consistent connection to recognize.

Apple Wallet in iOS 27 lets you create digital passes from physical cards using a photo or screenshot, but not every card in your wallet qualifies.

Anthropic's Claude AI submitted a fabricated eyewitness tip about an unsolved murder to a Philadelphia police website during automated testing.

P7 DarkSword iPhone spyware can steal saved passwords, photos, Apple Notes and cryptocurrency wallet data by checking for commands every 15 seconds.

Cybersecurity experts told Fox News Digital that a cyberattack on French supermarket freezers should warn the U.S. about critical infrastructure gaps.

The Oracle Health breach exposed medical records, Social Security numbers and diagnoses of nearly 20 million patients across multiple states.

The new Tesla Roadster drove upside down and launched into the air at SpaceX's Texas facility, but a 2028 production target remains unconfirmed.

Apple's iOS 27 lets you add keywords to iPhone photos, while Samsung Gallery tags and Google Photos search offer similar organization tools.

A fake Claude AI download scam uses Google ads, and Bing redirects to trick Mac users into pasting a hidden malicious command in their Terminal.

Ahold Delhaize's cybersecurity incident knocked online ordering and digital coupons offline at Stop & Shop, Food Lion, Hannaford and Giant Food stores.

The Fox News AI Newsletter covers the latest artificial intelligence technology advancements, including the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Amazon's About You feature includes personality details from your shopping history, and some shoppers are finding hilariously awkward results.

Identity theft recovery starts with securing bank accounts, freezing credit and enabling two-factor authentication within the first 24 hours.

Apple's $299 HomeView smart display uses facial recognition to personalize screens for up to six household members and show live security camera feeds.

Domonique DuBose spotted red flags when a man on Hinge with 85,000 followers and a blue checkmark claimed to be a San Francisco 49ers player.

Your phone's location data can expose visits to doctors, pharmacies and places of worship. The FTC took action against data brokers selling this data.

Hackers targeted Danfoss refrigerator controls across French supermarkets, forcing chains like Carrefour and Monoprix to discard massive food stocks.

iOS 27 finally lets iPhone Shared Albums store photos and videos at full resolution in iCloud, but new items count toward the owner's storage.

A fake Facebook Marketplace text scam uses your real name as the seller to trick you into replying, and Malwarebytes warns even one response helps.

The Pentagon data breach exposed 2.76 million Social Security numbers and military records, raising long-term identity theft concerns for veterans.

Kodiak AI plans to haul IKEA freight on Texas highways with no one in the cab, raising urgent cybersecurity and safety questions for drivers.

Apple Intelligence in iOS 27 adds Extend and Reframe tools to Photos, letting iPhones generate new background areas beyond your original borders.

Microsoft's X account was hijacked to promote a crypto pump-and-dump scheme, exposing its more than 13 million followers to a scam campaign.

Dont Ask Your Broker

Stocks & Mutual Fund