Well, not really. What I mean is I don't mind losing a small amount when I have to sell a stock or mutual fund that is going down or taking away the profit I have made. During this past 3 years I have made money each year because I was not afraid to sell. The great secret that Wall Street does not want investors to know is all about selling, not buying.
The recent headlines scream"10 Stocks To Buy Now", "100 Best Mutual Funds For 2003", "Make 25% With These Safe Stocks" and "Now Is The Time To Buy". All are either stupidity or wishful thinking. Brokers and financial planners don't want you to find out that they don't know either so they come up with great stories about the equities they recommend. Unfortunately, when the stock or fund heads down it becomes one of those buy and hold situations and they tell you that you are "in for the long haul" and "the market always comes back". I hope that by now you have learned this is not true.
When there is a secular bear market, as I believe we are in now, it could be many years before we get back to "even". Last year 96% of all stock equity mutual funds lost money and the average fund lost 21%. These are times when the only safe place for money is in cash ? a money market account. For the previous 3 years money in your mattress outperformed the stock market by 40% and for lots of folks much more. Here is one your broker will not tell you ? Cash Is A Position.
The first thing you must learn about investing is how to protect yourself from losses. I mean big losses. When I was a floor trader on the exchange I lost on about 40% of my trades, but I never lost much. I came to love those little losses because I still had almost all my money available to find a better position. One that would make money.
Almost all of the magazine writers, talking heads and brokerage analysts are professional losers. It is easy to prove because they never tell you where to sell what they are telling you to buy. If you don't go in with a plan to protect your money it is like a general who goes into battle with no plan for retreat should he find he couldn't win the battle. One of the simplest money savers is the 10% stop. It you buy a stock or no-load mutual fund you should not take more than a 10% loss. This will leave you with 90% of your money that could find a real winner. The small losses will never break you. It is sitting with a loss that gets bigger and bigger and bigger is the one that will ruin you.
Learning to love the little losses will make you rich.
Al Thomas
Author of "If It Doesn't Go Up, Don't Buy It!"
Never lose money in the stock market again.
http://www.mutualfundmagic.com
shuttle to Midway Beardstown .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareDollar cost averaging is one of the most popular ideas... Read More
If you don't know what a Roth IRA is then... Read More
I receive emails from Morningstar. This company provides statistics and... Read More
The ABC's of Stock Trading SuccessStock trading success...why is it... Read More
There are red lights, green lights, blue lights and spot... Read More
It is commonly reported that the stock market averages about... Read More
Someday you may want to retire and continue to live... Read More
In today's volatile and confusing stock markets everyone is searching... Read More
We need a rabbit!This was a pretty horrible week for... Read More
The recent criminal fiasco in the mutual fund industry is... Read More
The broker told me not to sell because the mutual... Read More
I don't know what kind it is, but I saw... Read More
Yesterday I received my monthly issue of MONEY magazine. This... Read More
What does it take to be a stock trader? It... Read More
On Friday or Saturday evening my wife gets a movie... Read More
Options trading can increase the profits you make when trading... Read More
In November of 2000 when the NASDAQ was trading at... Read More
One Saturday morning, while he was sitting at his computer... Read More
Cat or dog? Maybe Zebra. Shucks, I don't know, but... Read More
Everything you invest in has risk so you want to... Read More
Among the largest forces that affect stock prices are inflation,... Read More
After some forty years of banking and investments, I retired... Read More
As one of my regular readers you know I have... Read More
On November 17 I bought 7 different mutual funds and... Read More
Ever wondered what is a mutual fund? A mutual fund... Read More
Green Bay Hummer H2 SUV rentals ..Outlined below are some of the advantages and disadvantages of... Read More
It looks like the market is ready to start up... Read More
Success in small cap & micro cap stock trading like... Read More
In November of 2000 when the NASDAQ was trading at... Read More
Disclaimer: Please note that I do not necessarily purchase, own,... Read More
When purchasing mutual funds we are cautioned to read the... Read More
As a novice trader, you'll often feel the need to... Read More
A stock market index is a statistical measure of changes... Read More
(1) Stock Market is Tough Place to Make Any Money... Read More
"There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action!" Johann... Read More
This article describes the model of a natural relationship between... Read More
This is the continuing story of our two imaginary traders,... Read More
Sidney felt sick as she looked at her latest OptionsXpress... Read More
How can you dispel an illusion unless you look directly... Read More
Ever wondered what is a mutual fund? A mutual fund... Read More
Forget making a profit; instead focus on the income provided... Read More
Stock trading remains a very competitive field and the stock... Read More
If you're a normal human being, your need to feel... Read More
I read a comment by a forum member on another... Read More
If you are fed up with early redemption charges and... Read More
There is a famous cliff on the ocean in Acapulco... Read More
For the last few weeks we have seen the stock... Read More
Ever turn down a street, get half way and suddenly... Read More
Are you one of those many people who dread reading... Read More
How do you make money without picking tops and bottoms?I... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |