Let's first define insanity. It is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. And that is what most investors do and they can't understand why they are not able to make money in the stock market.
Do these investors need a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a talk with their minister or none of the above? I know, you think they should talk to their broker or their financial planner. Believe me, folks, these two are part of the problem and not the solution.
If they knew the answers everyone would be rich. Let's go back and look at who taught these mavens how to invest. The Wall Street brokerage houses taught them or rather did not teach them the most basic rules of the game. Why? Because brokerage houses want you to buy (for commission) and they do not want you to sell even though that means another commission. There are two basic reasons they don't want you to sell and it has nothing to do with that one selling commission.
If you sell you might take your money out of your account and that is one of the things the Maul Street crowd never wants to happen, but the most important is they make money when your account is invested. It is not a lot, but it in a nice steady 1% or more. You are their unspoken collateral in the worldwide money shuffle.
Any broker who suggests a customer sell is usually chastised in some way or just plain fired. A broker who allows large sums of cash to accumulate in customers accounts is told to invest (?) it or hit the road. The house (that's the brokerage firm) does not want to see customers with big cash balances although there are times when that is exactly where they should be. Remember 2000 to 2003? During that three year period wouldn't it have been better for your account to have had no stock or fund positions?
Brokers or financial planners are not taught simple methods to protect customer funds. And I mean simple. Too many folks during the 2000 debacle lost 40% of their money and more. There was absolutely no reason for this if basic money management techniques were instituted.
Customers could be made aware that they should not give back more than 10%, maybe as much as 15%, of their portfolio value when the stock market goes in the tank. That occurs on a regular basis. Declines in equities of 20% to 40% happen regularly and no customer should be mesmerized into holding during those periods.
During the 2000-2001 period there were less than 3% recommendations by brokers to sell and those sells were after the stock had crashed about 80% to 90%. It is too late then. Your money is gone. If brokers and financial planners had been taught to advise people to place 10% stop loss orders their retirement accounts they would be much fatter today.
Stop doing the same thing over and over again because of bad advice. Learn to sell when your position goes negative. Don't be one of the insane.
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.
Copyright 2005
http://www.mutualfundmagic.com; 1-888-345-7870
tidy up service Glenview ..Day trading is all about making buy and sell decisions.... Read More
How often have you come across an advertisement or e-mail... Read More
If you are serious about making and keeping money by... Read More
Ever notice how behavior in one area of life can... Read More
One of the greatest challenges of investing in stocks is... Read More
Reach in your pocket and take out that big roll... Read More
You'd have had to be living on a desert island... Read More
There are major differences between trading stocks and trading futures.... Read More
Has your broker been calling you recently with the "great... Read More
In today's volatile and confusing stock markets everyone is searching... Read More
You remember (they show it on TV every year) the... Read More
According to Investopedia Inc. the penny stock market has seen... Read More
TOO OFTEN, INVESTORS SIMPLY CHOOSE TO follow the crowd. This... Read More
Regardless of the fact that the world's stock markets have... Read More
A PEG ratio cannot be used alone but is a... Read More
Every year I go to the Money Show in Orlando,... Read More
Mutual fund investing is a lot like Thai cooking. Everyone... Read More
Stock investment advice is easy to find. Do you get... Read More
One of the great "secrets" of successful people is discipline... Read More
There are so many kinds of work that needs to... Read More
If you are going to be a winner in the... Read More
Fundamental analysis.Fundamentals analysis says the best way to predict the... Read More
As the man said, "I've got some good news and... Read More
On November 17 I bought 7 different mutual funds and... Read More
Ever jumped out of an airplane? It's OK if you... Read More
full-service cleaning Mundelein ..AS BUILDERS BEGIN WORK ON THE FREEDOM TOWER in New... Read More
I am sure that if you have a brokerage account... Read More
First let's see what protectionism is. According to Mr. Webster... Read More
In November of 2000 when the NASDAQ was trading at... Read More
Quick, look out the window. It's raining. No, the sun's... Read More
Most stock traders know that momentum trading can be a... Read More
Whenever I see mutual fund comparisons in the trade publications... Read More
Last time we looked at the real performance of the... Read More
Mutual funds are doing more and more to discourage investors... Read More
We all know the expression, "My country, right or wrong",... Read More
Every day in any financial publication you will find the... Read More
Since I can remember, and that's a long time ago,... Read More
Every publicly traded company is required by the SEC(Securities and... Read More
With the stock market stubbornly refusing to settle down and... Read More
What does it mean to short a stock?This means that... Read More
Even if you don't own any of their stock or... Read More
Financial markets provide their participants with the most favorable conditions... Read More
To become a successful trader you must have some kind... Read More
What a great statement!I just heard someone use it in... Read More
Before we get into all the good news out there,... Read More
There is so much involved in developing peak performance, that... Read More
The higher the market goes the more confusing are the... Read More
I cringe every time I hear a novice investor tell... Read More
Wall Street has been preaching for years and years to... Read More
You read and hear a lot about hedge funds. Unfortunately,... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |