Emotional Maturity

If you are going to be a winner in the stock market you must have emotional maturity. I did not say you had to be smart or know how to pick stocks and mutual funds.

Once someone buys a stock or mutual fund he immediately seems to have a love affair with it. It can become a fatal attraction that can lead to disaster.

All brokers and financial planners are taught to buy and hold no matter what happens to the price of an equity. They get married to it and hope that it will treat them well while they are together. Today about 50% of all marriages end in divorce yet people will hold on to a stock forever that has gone down waiting for it to come back so they can get out "even". In a bad marriage you never get out even.

Any time you buy a stock or mutual fund you must have an exit strategy in place or face dire consequences meaning loss of your investment. When I was a floor trader on the exchange I would buy various equities, but before I made my purchase I always knew in advance how much risk I was willing to take. My prenuptial was in place.

Here is the greatest secret to making money in the stock market. It is knowing when to sell. Always figure you will have a loss until you see it go up and from then on your primary purpose is to keep the profit you have made. Never give back profits. If you become emotionally tied to any stock or fund it will definitely come back to bite you.

In 1998 you could have bought Janus 20, one of the largest and best known mutual funds, for $40 per share and gleefully watched it go up to $93. Today it is selling for $35. That love affair has cost someone money. If the investor had looked at that mutual fund as just another piece of paper to hold as long as the principal was appreciating he would have been dollars ahead. Brokers and financial planners foster this kind of immature thinking because they know they might upset the client if they told him to sell his dearly beloved shares.

Every professional trader I know would not subscribe to the long haul theory. That is the death of a retirement account. So many people buy a stock and refuse to sell it for less than they paid for it. Would it not have been better to have taken a small loss and had that money to invest in a better situation?

The immature investor is willing to take a big loss rather than a small one. It takes fortitude to be able to sell out of a losing position. When you learn this lesson you will become wealthy.

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

Tinley Park executive chauffeured services .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare
In The News:

The CyberGuy provides tips to protect yourself from criminals who use various methods to make unauthorized transactions using your account information.
New drone technology maps land and water with stunning accuracy, giving researchers and conservationists a new way to understand our planet.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
X hit with massive data breach with 200 million records leaked, including emails. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers seven tips to help protect yourself.
Atlas robot by Boston Dynamics amazes tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson with its breakdancing moves.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about how Google kept Android SafetyCore details quiet until it scanned users' photos.
Hydrogen trucks debut in Georgia, sparking debates on costs and green freight gains. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson comments on this promising chapter in green logistics evolution.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says ChatGPT learns from chats, but you should avoid sharing sensitive information to protect your privacy.
Beyond Aero's BYA-1: Hydrogen-electric jet with zero emissions, reduced costs, 2030 launch. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson discusses a potential game changer in the evolution of air travel.
Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains how you can creatively repurpose your old unused Android devices, which are full of potential and hidden value.
Mech the super-humanoid robot can lift up to 132 pounds and is designed to tackle stressful and repetitive tasks that often lead to workplace injuries.
Double-clicking is something we all do, often without giving it a second thought. But it could be giving hackers permission to do something dangerous.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Kurt the CyberGuy offers some of his easy expert tips to free up storage space on your Android if your device is running short on storage.
You can reset your internet router remotely if you're not home when your power goes out. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains how this can be done.
The EO Canopy is a self-sustaining, solar-powered camping platform designed to provide all the comforts of home while completely off the grid.
Experts say hackers who used to focus on Windows operating systems are increasingly targeting Apple IDs as part of a new phishing campaign.
Unitree, a Chinese robotics company that developed a backflipping robot, has now introduced a humanoid robot capable of doing a side flip.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
According to the FBI, cybercriminals are sending extortion letters, threatening to release victims' sensitive information unless a ransom is paid.
FireSat is a satellite project designed to detect and track wildfires early, aiming to detect a fire that's the size of a classroom within 20 minutes.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reports that researchers have uncovered a Chrome vulnerability used in a cyber espionage campaign.
Preserving voicemails securely on Android: Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals easy methods to keep memories alive forever.
This phishing kit bypasses 2FA via session hijacking and real-time credential theft. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers four ways to stay safe from Astaroth phishing attacks.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson discusses Joby Aviation and Virgin Atlantic planning to launch 200-mph U.K. air taxis linking airports and cities.

Ignore Stock Market Talking Heads

You should ignore analysts on TV, the radio, the newspaper... Read More

What To Buy?

Now that you have some money burning a hole in... Read More

Successful Trading ? Taking Profits - Part 2

Suppose your position has made a big move and you... Read More

Economists

In today's volatile and confusing stock markets everyone is searching... Read More

Stock Market Investing: Knowing When (and when not) to Sell

One of the greatest challenges of investing in stocks is... Read More

Selection Vs Direction

As I have said many times before in this column... Read More

Evaluation I

An insane person cannot evaluate an insane evaluation system.As you... Read More

Bad News is Good News

For weeks, no, months we have been bombarded with nothing... Read More

When?

When will the stock market stop going down and start... Read More

Take The Time

You must take the time once a month to review... Read More

The Three Little Pigs Went to the Stock Market

Three little pigs went to the market to stock up... Read More

Stock Market Investing Odds

The greatest stock market myth is the idea that investing... Read More

What is a Mutual Fund?

Ever wondered what is a mutual fund? A mutual fund... Read More

Online Broker Trade History Not Doing the Job

Let me start by saying that...Most online brokers do not... Read More

Market Timing?

The recent criminal fiasco in the mutual fund industry is... Read More

Economists #2

Economists know more about how the fragments of society work... Read More

What Can Model Airplanes Teach You About Trading?

I was devastated!I just couldn't believe it. I was 10... Read More

Hot Stock Investing ... How to Pick Hot Stocks with Momentum Stock Trading

Profitable day traders recognize that momentum trading is among the... Read More

Hold Em and Fold Em

When most analysts, financial planners, fund specialists and investors try... Read More

How (NOT) to Buy Mutual Funds

When it comes to mutual funds, there is a lot... Read More

Stock Market Course .... Day Trader Online Seminar ... Can You Generate Profits Trading from Home?

When it comes to stock market trading it PAYS to... Read More

A Personal Stock Market Investment Philosophy

∙ Make every investment in the stock market a long-term... Read More

Advisory News Letters

Several times each month I am solicited by various market... Read More

401K-itis

Are you one of those many people who dread reading... Read More

Advisory Service for You?

It depends on your level of understanding of the market... Read More

limo Chicago Hickory Hills ..