AAII - West Suburban Sub-Group in Naperville, IL . . . Newsletter & Information Blog

Sunday, July 31, 2005

12 Timeless Rules of Investing

1. An attempt at making a quick buck often leads to losing much of that buck.

* The people who suffer the worse losses are those who over-reach.

* If the investment sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

* Here's the best hot tip that you will ever receive: There is no such thing as a hot tip!


2. Don't let a small loss become large.

* Don't keep losing money just to prove you are right.

* Never throw good money after bad. In other words, don't buy more of a loser.

* When all you're left with is hope, get out!


3. Cut your losers; let your winners ride.

* Avoid limited-upside or unlimited-downside investments.

* Don't fall in love with your investment; it won't fall in love with you.


4. A rising tide raises all ships, and vice versa. So assess the tide, not the ships.

* Fighting the prevailing trend is generally a recipe for disaster.

* Stocks will fall more than you think and rise higher than you imagine.

* In the short run, values don't matter.


5. When a stock hits a new high, it's not time to sell...something is going right.

* When a stock hits a new low, it's not time to buy...something is going wrong.


6. Buy and hold doesn't ALWAYS work.

* If stocks don't seem cheap then stand aside.


7. Bear markets begin in good times. Bull markets begin in bad times.


8. If you don't understand the investment then don't buy it.

* Don't be wooed. Either make an effort to understand it or else say "no thanks."

* You can't know everything, so don't stray far from what you do know.


9. Buy value, and sell hysteria.

* Paying less than the underlying asset's value is a proven successful strategy.

* Buying overvalued stocks has proven to underperform the market.

* Neglected sectors often offer good values.

* The "popular" sectors are often overvalued.


10. Investing in what's popular never ends up making you any money.

* Avoid popular stocks, fad industries, and new ventures.

* Buy an investment when it has few friends.


11. When it's time to act, don't hesitate.

* Once you're in, be patient, and don't be rattled by fluctuations.

* Stick with your plan... but when you make a mistake, don't hesitate.

* Learn more from your bad moves than your good ones.


12. Expert investors care about risk; novice investors shop for returns.

* If you focus on the risks, the returns will eventually come for you.

* If you focus on the returns, the risks will eventually come for you.


* * * * *

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home