One Way Street

Ever turn down a street, get half way and suddenly realize it is one way and you are going the wrong way? Is that the way you feel when you look at your stock brokerage statement?

In either case don't panic. You can get out of that one way street by carefully backing out. Recouping your stock market losses also means you must back out. Many people lost 50% of their investment in the last year because they were going the wrong way and could not back out. You must admit you are doing it wrong and stop immediately just as you did in your car. In a car you have been taught there is a reverse gear so you know how to get out of this bad situation. No one has ever taught you how to extricate yourself from a losing position in the stock market - certainly not your broker and most financial planners don't know either.

Let's look first at how you got here. You bought stocks or mutual funds without an exit plan. I'll put it away "for the long haul" and won't worry about it. The nicest thing I can say about that type of investing is "STUPID". You have an exit plan for the one way street; now you need an exit plan for your remaining money. It is the same. Back out. You have to acknowledge you are doing it wrong. Hiding from this mistake means you will continue to lose money. Do you want to do that or would you rather find a solution to not losing money again?

O.K., you have looked in the mirror and you say I am ready. Look at that brokerage statement and sell every loser you have. Every one! This takes emotional courage. Do it. Now you have cash. Don't do anything until you have a plan and that plan has an absolute, set-in-concrete foundation: never buy any stock or mutual fund unless I limit my risk from the day I purchase it. One of the best rules is a 10% Good Until Cancelled Stop-Loss Order. Brokers hate these because it means they will have to check your account daily. Don't believe him when he says, "Don't worry, I will watch your account". He won't. It is not his money.

Using this very simple technique you will never lose large sums of money. Also as your stock moves up you raise (never lower) the stop-loss order each week following it 10% under each Friday's closing price until you are eventually taken out of the position with a profit or, at worst, a small loss. The stock itself will tell you when to sell when it turns weak.

You have been driving for a lot of years and have gotten out of some tight places. Now you know how to not lose money in the stock market. Back out. Do it today. Put in your stops.

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




More Resources

    Investing:Mutual-Funds Articles from EzineArticles.com



  • Using The Google Mutual Fund Screener
    The Google mutual fund screener is an important asset for potential investors. Before investing in mutual funds, there are several variables that must be considered. The Google mutual fund screener can help you to determine whether the mutual fund you have in mind is really a safe bet.
    Read more

  • Determining Mutual Fund Prices Today
    Mutual fund prices today are rarely the same as they were the day before, and are highly unlikely to remain the same tomorrow. The best place for you to find mutual fund prices today is going to be the Internet, and after that, the finance section of your local newspaper.
    Read more

  • Know More About Sector Funds
    Sector funds are mutual funds that concentrate on a particular sector. Such funds have their own share of investors in the market. Are these funds the right investment choice for all? The article below gives more information about sector funds.
    Read more

  • An Intro To Treasury Inflation Protected Securities Mutual Funds
    An investment that helps prevent inflation are Treasury Inflation Protected Securities mutual funds. The US Treasury has been issuing them since 1997, and there is a world of difference between them and a regular US Treasury Bond.
    Read more

  • A List Of The Top Rated Mutual Funds For 2012
    When it comes to investing, everyone wants to be as sure as possible that they're making a good decision. One thing that can help is an analysis of the current market, including the investments that are yielding the highest returns for investors. The following article includes the top rated mutual funds for 2012.
    Read more

  • Tips To Getting Started With Mutual Funds
    So, you're considering taking on your very first investment. With all the options there are out there, just how exactly will you choose? Mutual funds are a great option for beginning investors, as they include a financial advisor to be there by your side the entire way through.
    Read more

  • What Are Mutual Funds And How Do They Work?
    Mutual funds can be a difficult concept for people to grasp. However, when it's put simply, the idea is much more accessible. An open-ended fund that an investment company shares with stockholders, who invest in stocks, money-market instruments, and bonds, is a mutual fund.
    Read more

  • Do You Know The Basics Of Mutual Funds?
    Are you aware of what you should know walking into investing in mutual funds? What about which company to even go to? Doing your research can make a huge difference in the fate of your mutual fund. The following is some information to help you get started.
    Read more

  • Striving For Diversity In Mutual Funds
    When it comes to investing your money, you don't want to take any risks that aren't totally necessary. Understand, however, that there are natural risks involved just in the act of investing alone. Because of this, it's important that an investor knows about the best available mutual funds in their area.
    Read more

  • How To Successfully Invest In Mutual Funds Online
    When it comes to investing in mutual funds online, you're going to want to have the fastest Internet connection you can get your hands on. Several accounts and brokers offer information about trading in within milliseconds of it becoming important.
    Read more

  • Ideas For Good Investments In ETFs or Exchange Traded Funds
    This is a list of the best ETFs to use for your investment accounts. They are cheap, liquid, and efficient.
    Read more

  • Deciding On The Best Kind Of Mutual Fund For You
    The mutual funds that perform the best might not have received the best score from Morningstar; those that receive the highest ratings could still sink out in the financial market. The way a mutual fund has performed in the past and the way it will in the future are two totally separate things.
    Read more

  • Mutual Funds Basics - What They Are And How They Are Categorized?
    All mutual funds are is a collection of bonds and stocks. Instead of a single investor owning the entire collection from a company, their portion is merely a single part of a portfolio. This portfolio is made up of different kinds of financial instruments from more than one firm.
    Read more

  • Diversification - How To Do It
    Quite simply, it is about not putting all your eggs in one basket. There are many places to invest your money from low return, low risk investments such as cash and fixed interest investments to growth assets such as property and shares, both domestic shares and international.
    Read more

  • The Nature Of Equity Diversified Funds
    Do you have an understanding of the nature of equity diversified funds? What about the kind of person who invests in them?
    Read more

  • More Information From The Asset Advisor

  • Related Articles

    Why This Bear?
    People are constantly asking me why is the stock market going down. What is causing this bear market? It is relatively simple so don't ask an economist.

    Acapulco - The Stock Market Dives
    There is a famous cliff on the ocean in Acapulco where experienced divers jump into the sea. It is very dangerous because the water at the base of the cliff surges from a depth of 2 feet to 12 feet.
    A Personal Stock Market Investment Philosophy
    ∙ Make every investment in the stock market a long-term investment.My Mother worked as a teller in a small bank in Dover, New Jersey.
    The Problem With Hedge Funds
    Are hedge funds a suitable investment for you? Hedge funds are an appropriate investment for qualified purchasers with a net worth above one million dollars and an annual income exceeding two hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Purchasers are often required to sign an acknowledgement confirming their qualifications to invest in hedge funds.
    The Cub; II
    We keep hearing about this bear market and that the bottom is "in" or "very close" so we should be invested in these bargain basement prices to take advantage of the next bull so we won't lose out on the expected huge profits.This is not a big bear market - yet.
    I Love To Lose Money
    Well, not really. What I mean is I don't mind losing a small amount when I have to sell a stock or mutual fund that is going down or taking away the profit I have made.
    Historical Briefing: Stocks, Finance and Money
    The World Bank claims that some two billion of the world's citizens live on $1 per day or less! That fact absolutely shocked me. With this statistic in mind it becomes important to focus on all of the things that have served as money over the history of civilization.
    Smart Day Trading Strategies to Help You Make Money in the Stock Market
    Stock trading can be a very profitable activity. You can make big amounts of cash in a short period of time.
    What the Hell is a Stock option?
    A 'stock option' is a contract between two parties giving the buyer (also known as the 'taker') the right, but not the obligation, to either buy or sell a specific quantity of shares at a pre-agreed price (known as the 'strike price' or 'exercise price') by a certain future 'expiry' date. There are two different types of options that can be traded, known as 'call options' and 'put options'.
    Analysts - Do They Really Know The Stock Market?
    When you become interested in a stock or mutual fund you can call your broker and he will send you reports on how the company is doing, what their management is like and what might be the projected earnings for the company and how the industry is doing. Great information.
    Long Term Investing
    In his wonderful book, 'Multiple Streams of Income', best selling author Robert Allen advises Investors to divide their Stock Market investment and trading capital into three portions -50% invested long term (forever) in an Index Fund, 30% invested in Accelerated Stock strategies and 20% in options or high risk investment strategies.This article will discuss long term investing and how technical analysis can alert us to points in time when it is prudent to take profits and exit the Stock market.
    365/7/24
    What does it take to be a stock trader? It takes a total mental commitment to the task. It becomes a complete way of life.
    Why Is The Macedonian Stock Exchange Unsuccessful?
    The Macedonian Stock Exchange (MSE) is not operating successfully. True, some of the parameters which we use to measure the success of a stock exchange have lately improved in the MSE.
    Choosing An Investment Stock Broker
    If you want one.And I don't recommend any broker with whom to trade who will be giving you advice on what to buy and sell.
    Bad News is Good News
    For weeks, no, months we have been bombarded with nothing but negative news about the economy in general and thousands of individual companies. The stock market has dropped thousands of points and more than $8 trillion in paper assets have disappeared.
    Will the Stock Market be Lower in October?
    The stock market often closes a week in the middle of a "perceived primary-trend range." SPX closed at about 1,234 Fri, which is between a multi-year Fibonacci level at 1,253 (i.
    Tips to Finding Other People's Simple Trading Plans
    Did you know you can make money (and a lot of it) by simply modeling someone else's trading plan? Yes, it is true. Unbelievably, there are many of trading gurus doing it RIGHT NOW.
    Selection Vs Direction
    As I have said many times before in this column it really doesn't make any difference what you buy - stocks, funds or indexes - it takes smarts to know when to sell. Direction of the general market is more important than selection of any equity.
    KISS Formula
    There are formulas for just about everything, but it has been shown that the simpler the formula or method of doing a particular task the better it works. It has evolved down to KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid.
    3 Components Needed for Beating the Market
    Time to look back2004 is over, now we are in 2005. This is time to seriously look at performance of your personal investment, such as mutual fund, or individual stocks holdings, etc.

  • Advertising