Wall Street has been preaching the doctrine of Buy and Hold forever. The worst part about it is the small investor (and some big ones) actually believe it. Brokers and financial planners believe it, but when you show them they can get a better return by timing the market they just say, "It can't be done". They are either lazy or stupid.
Most brokers have not learned their trade - investing. Webster says that means putting money into something (stocks) for the purpose of obtaining an income or profit. When people look at their brokerage statements these days they must wonder where their broker went to school. Investors could have done better with a dartboard.
Brokers are not taught to make money. They are taught all the regulations that come out of Washington that must be followed so the brokerage company will not be sued. To my knowledge none of them are taught the basic fundamentals of increasing customers' wealth or protecting the customers' capital from loss.
Brokerage houses hire people to do reports about companies. They call them analysts, but today those jobs have deteriorated into snow jobs to get people to buy stock in a particular company. When you read the report you will find it very professionally done with pretty pictures and graphs and charts. Wow! I'll buy that. And a few months later you will wish you hadn't. When you have a loss the standard reply is, "Don't worry. You are in for the long haul. The market always comes back". In your lifetime? Today there are hundreds of stocks that have lost 50% to 90% of their value and there is absolutely no hope they will ever recover those losses. But?.you are in for the long haul. You now have the Buy and Hold philosophy.
Why do so many people cling to this doctrine?
You have a stock you bought for $40 per share that went up to some profitable number and now is down below $10/share. You're out 75% of your money. You are waiting for it to go back up so you can get out "even" and I will tell you "even" is a loser.
Many years ago I heard a story about how they used to catch monkeys in Africa. A hole was made just big enough for the monkey to get his outstretched hand in a hollowed out coconut shell. Fruit and sweets were placed inside. The monkey put his hand in and gripped the goodies, but could not remove his clinched fist. It refused to let go even when the hunter came to put him in a cage. All the monkey had to do was let go of the candy and he could have escaped.
Many investors are the same way about the stock they bought. They won't let go. The investor does not want to admit he was wrong. You are not wrong until you sell - just broke. Small losses will not hurt you, but holding on can put you in the poverty cage. Buy and Hold conventional wisdom will break you. Learn to let go of the losers quickly and you will preserve your capital.
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
efficient cleaning crew Lake Forest ..Several times each month I am solicited by various market... Read More
It is difficult to make money in a bull market,... Read More
The Law of Chaos is the theory of random unpredictable... Read More
Invest in the stock market for the RIGHT reason, using... Read More
What does it take to be a stock trader? It... Read More
According to Investopedia Inc. the penny stock market has seen... Read More
We have two candidates for president that have really different... Read More
One of the great truisms of Wall Street is "Don't... Read More
Wall Street has been preaching the doctrine of Buy and... Read More
Are you paying any attention to your retirement savings? Do... Read More
Everything you invest in has risk so you want to... Read More
Let's go into the details of why non-indexed mutual funds... Read More
An investor can find and research the best stock on... Read More
The basis of diminishing return discussions surround such simple notions;... Read More
During the day I watch CNBC-TV, the stock market channel.... Read More
People are always asking me when should I sell my... Read More
Every day in any financial publication you will find the... Read More
The gleam and bright lights of Wall Street lure in... Read More
It has often been said that there is only two... Read More
When is a dividend not a dividend?The latest thing "conservative"... Read More
Mutual fund investing is a lot like Thai cooking. Everyone... Read More
IT'S REMINISCENT OF THE OLD children's tale about an old... Read More
We've all heard of the stock market and probably have... Read More
For weeks, no, months we have been bombarded with nothing... Read More
Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are growing. Investors are choosing low... Read More
green cleaning service Deerfield ..A few years back ? it seems like an eternity... Read More
I'll bet with almost anyone that has stocks or mutual... Read More
You should ignore analysts on TV, the radio, the newspaper... Read More
Most advisors will tell you they can beat the market.... Read More
A common problem I often see when working with living... Read More
We learnt the following the hard way! If any of... Read More
Both the stock market and oil prices rallied recently, which... Read More
In my opinion, due to the volatility of stock market... Read More
This is a rather simple strategy with which I am... Read More
Several times each month I am solicited by various market... Read More
It is commonly reported that the stock market averages about... Read More
Most stock traders know that momentum trading can be a... Read More
The following are a list of nine things you want... Read More
What is the Series 7 Exam? If you... Read More
The bear market that showed up at the end of... Read More
One of the great "secrets" of successful people is discipline... Read More
One of the basic laws of physics states that a... Read More
We all know that emotions control every decision that an... Read More
Most people think the stock market is a zero sum... Read More
When you invest in the stock market for ever-increasing cash... Read More
Are hedge funds a suitable investment for you? Hedge funds... Read More
You probably know the story of Sherlock Holmes and the... Read More
When we go to the circus we see a trapeze... Read More
Profitable day traders recognize that momentum trading is among the... Read More
From the book 'The Stockopoly Plan' by the author Charles... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |