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
limousine Ackley .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareEvery broker and financial planner will tell you that you... Read More
How many times have you said to yourself, "I'd like... Read More
It takes a total mental commitment to the task. It... Read More
1. Do not spread your money too thin.My friend has... Read More
This is a guide to the different types of mutual... Read More
What a great statement!I just heard someone use it in... Read More
One Saturday morning, while he was sitting at his computer... Read More
When purchasing mutual funds we are cautioned to read the... Read More
Reduce your investing and stock market risks by:Setting your sights... Read More
Most advisors will tell you they can beat the market.... Read More
People are always asking me when should I sell my... Read More
The stock market is very unstable at this time going... Read More
I continually hear from economists, talking heads, other market letter... Read More
Fundamental analysis.Fundamentals analysis says the best way to predict the... Read More
There is a famous cliff on the ocean in Acapulco... Read More
Whenever I see mutual fund comparisons in the trade publications... Read More
For years I have been saying you must have a... Read More
One of the big advertising kicks today from mutual funds... Read More
From the book 'The Stockopoly Plan' by the author Charles... Read More
Today we are inundated with tons of information about the... Read More
Everybody is riding the Wall Street Roller coaster. Even if... Read More
Being wrong is OK, but let's not carry it to... Read More
Ever notice how behavior in one area of life can... Read More
As the man said, "I've got some good news and... Read More
Someday you may want to retire and continue to live... Read More
shuttle from O'Hare Alexander ..Mutual funds and brokers are always preaching not to buy... Read More
One of the great "secrets" of successful people is discipline... Read More
Did you run out to buy that duct tape yet?... Read More
How many times has this happened to you? You're at... Read More
When most analysts, financial planners, fund specialists and investors try... Read More
On Monday, November 25, 2000 Investor's Business Daily listed on... Read More
You read and hear a lot about hedge funds. Unfortunately,... Read More
Recently I was invited to appear on a live CNNfn... Read More
It depends on your level of understanding of the market... Read More
Wall Street has been preaching the doctrine of Buy and... Read More
Outlined below are some of the advantages and disadvantages of... Read More
The fight continues to rage among traders who use technical... Read More
With an insecure job market, overworked employees, insufficient retirement savings... Read More
Look back over the years and try to remember how... Read More
With all the bad news that has been dumped upon... Read More
Time to look back2004 is over, now we are in... Read More
In 1960 an engineer working for a watch company in... Read More
I was recently interviewed for a press release through a... Read More
No, this is not a symbol for some Latin number.... Read More
We are already in it, but you can't see it.... Read More
There are so many kinds of work that needs to... Read More
When we go to the circus we see a trapeze... Read More
Ever turn down a street, get half way and suddenly... Read More
It takes a total mental commitment to the task. It... Read More
Success in small cap & micro cap stock trading like... Read More
Stocks & Mutual Fund |