Is Your Garage Full Of Junk?

I have a 2-car garage. There are nice shelves on one side and a good practical workbench with a vice on the other side. Plenty of room for 2 cars yet I have to be careful when I pull in so I won't run over stuff stacked on each side. Sound familiar?

Kinda reminds me of the investment portfolio of many people. Full of junk. If I threw out almost all of that stuff I really wouldn't miss it. For whatever crazy reason I still have a stock certificate of 100 shares for a copper mine in Cuba. You know how much that is worth. Fortunately, I don't have any of those now defunct dot.com company shares.

Oh, I did own a lot of technology issues in 1999 and into 2000, but when they started down I put in my stop-loss orders and someone bought them from me. I sure hope he still doesn't have them. Some have no value at all now and others are worth less than 10% of their high prices. I remember Priceline.com when it went to $104 and then took a nosedive to $2.00. I even made a nice profit in the mutual fund Janus 20 that took off from $40 and went to $93. Today it is $37. The Buy and Hold crowd have become the Buy and Prey people. Needless to say your broker did not call you to sell out with a profit. No, he said, "Don't worry the market always comes back". Maybe not in your lifetime.

I have not been very careful about keeping the junk out of my garage, but I have not collected many pretty stock certificates that have no value. Once each month I have taken about 15 minutes to see what is going on with my money. That is what is supposed to take care of me when I do not choose to work any more and I know Social Security is not going to be enough.

When that bull market was raging I made sure that I was not going to give back the profits I made. I placed following loss limits on each of my securities every month. You really should do it weekly, but I did not seem to have the time. A good friend of mine taught me to place what is called Good 'Til Cancelled Stop-Loss Orders. The are also called GTC stop orders. This has been the difference in my having more money in my retirement account today. If I had not done this I would have less than half of what I have now. Don't let that happen to you.

If you have a lot of worthless securities or those that are still going down I think you should give serious consideration to cleaning out that portfolio and putting those funds in a cash money market account until you can find something that will make you some money.

You can live with a messy garage, but you can't live with no money in your retirement account. Clean out the weak ones now before they become worthless.

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

Wood Dale Chicago prom limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare
In The News:

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents
Internet browsers are useful, but they can be dangerous. Clicking on malicious links can direct you to dangerous websites that steal information or infect your device.
Apple's latest iOS update introduces advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, which may be capturing and analyzing sensitive information.
Breach site confirmed 56,904,909 Hot Topic users' data leaked online. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says the company's silence makes matters even worse.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson discusses how an innovative Easy-Way kit turns standard strollers electric, simplifying navigation for parents.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson talks about T-Mobile being hacked in broad cyberattack on global phone and internet companies.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson shows you how to add, customize and manage widgets for quick access to apps and info from your iPhone home screen.
Wrong Google searches can not only compromise your device and personal data. They can also bring law enforcement to your doorstep. Hackers are targeting Google searches.
China's Shanghai Kepler Robotics has developed a new humanoid robot that can carry up to 35 pounds per hand for commercial applications across various industries
Checking your hearing has gotten easier with the new hearing test feature in AirPods Pro 2. You can take reliable hearing tests using your iPhone or iPad.
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 "CyberGuy" Knutsson explains how a VPN — virtual private network — works and how running it can slow down the operation of your device.
The WalkON Suit F1, an exoskeleton developed to help people with disabilities, can actually walk over to a person in a wheelchair, solving a major problem.
ClickFix, a new scam targeting computer users, is on the rise in the U.S. The scam prompts its targets to click on a link to fix a problem.
Skydweller is the world's largest unmanned solar-powered aircraft that can stay airborne for weeks, and even months, without refueling.
The U.S. government said it is investigating after People's Republic of China hackers targeted commercial telecommunications service providers in the U.S.
Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.
Scammers are using increasingly sophisticated ways to lure unsuspecting victims, and some are impersonating an email help desk or support team.
You can unsend or edit your iMessages with the latest iOS updates. Kurt the CyberGuy explains how you can save yourself some potential embarrassment.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says there’s been a rise in cybercriminal services using hacked police and government emails to send subpoenas and data requests to U.S. companies.
Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson discusses how Axiom Space and luxury designer Prada are collaborating on NASA's Artemis III spacesuit design.
Voice assistants may cause confusion across devices. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers some solutions to fix it.
Shameless scammers trick veterans into giving personal info or cash. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson explores five common scams.
Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson helps you honor our heroes with these powerful podcasts, audiobooks and documentaries this Veterans Day.

Long Term Financial Vehicles

Investing in long-term financial vehicles give you the most gains... Read More

A Personal Stock Market Investment Philosophy

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

Market Experience of a Na?ve Stock Operator

Sometime in the third quarter of 1997, someone told me... Read More

Pamplona, the Wild Investment Bulls

You remember (they show it on TV every year) the... Read More

Stocks Options Trading

Let's assume that you want to make some serious money... Read More

Stocks: Understand What You Buy!

"There is nothing more frightful than ignorance in action!" Johann... Read More

Commoditizing the world

Let's discuss commodities; with the latest Enron situation, it is... Read More

Mutual Fund Ball and Chain

The broker told me not to sell because the mutual... Read More

The Exclusive Club of Large Caps

Picture one of those clubs where only the real heavyweights... Read More

Look Out The Window

Quick, look out the window. It's raining. No, the sun's... Read More

Hedge Funds: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Alfred Winslow Jones started hedge funds in 1949. He was... Read More

The Secret to More Winning Trades is as Simple as Avoiding This Common Mistake

If you're a normal human being, your need to feel... Read More

Trapeze Artist - Swinging with the Stock Market

When we go to the circus we see a trapeze... Read More

Red, Green, Yellow - or - Stop, Go, Go Very Fast: Which Describes Your Online Trading?

Ever notice how behavior in one area of life can... Read More

How Much Money Can I Make With Trading? What Account Size Do I Need To Start?

What account size do I need?How much money can I... Read More

Good News?

As the man said, "I've got some good news and... Read More

Choosing A Fund

For years I have been saying you must have a... Read More

Maximizing a Stock Market Investment

Maximizing a stock market investmentThere are several factors an investor... Read More

Trend Trading - Trading Stocks Using Technical Analysis and Swing Trading Strategies

Peter is a professional trader, Paul is not. Peter has... Read More

Boiler Room 7/17/00

On Friday or Saturday evening my wife gets a movie... Read More

Prospering with Mutual Funds: How Anyone can ?Afford? an Investment Advisor

Recently I was invited to appear on a live CNNfn... Read More

Selection Vs Direction

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

The Bottom?

Every day I hear someone on CNBC proclaim that "this... Read More

Take The Time

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

Your Trading Objective: Why is that so Important?

You've decided to try your luck at trading stocks or... Read More

Antigo wedding limo ..