Virtually any area of investment can allow you the opportu- nity to make big bucks. You can make your fortune methodi- cally, or you can try to gamble your way to wealth. There’s no doubt that every investment involves a degree of risk, but there’s a difference between a calculated risk and an outright gamble.
Within the framework of the MOM, GIM, and STF models I have given you, let’s look at some specifics.
Ten Surefire Ways to Lose Your Money
Any tool, no matter how good or how safe, can become lethal in the hands of a fool. The investment tools I have given you in this book have the power to create wealth as well as the power to take it away. Here are some things to remember if you want to avoid the traps that investors fall into, even with power- ful tools like the MOM method:
You will lose your money if you act impulsively before the setup in the STF model is triggered. You must wait for the trigger.
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You willbecome frustrated and lose money if you are in- consistent in the application of my rules. Patience and persistence are necessary if the method is to work for you.
You will lose money if you are too anxious to exit an in- vestment if it moves against you. Make certain that you give your investments time and flexibility to work.
You willlose most of your money, sooner rather than later, if you attempt to second-guess the method or attempt to combine too many other ingredients (i.e., information) into the recipe.
You willlose money if you try to take on too many shares of a stock before you have sufficient experience and capi- tal to do so. Be conservative until you have the money and the practice to be a more aggressive investor.
You willlose money if you take your profit too quickly. Re- member the examples I gave in Chapter 7? One loss could wipe out all your profit from the last seven investments you made.
You will lose money and time and patience if you do not exit a losing investment when the time is right. Losses tend to become worse over time if you hold on to a losing position.
You willlose money if you listen to too many people. Lis- ten only to your own good advice based on a solid method of analysis, even if it isn’t the MOM I taught you in this book.
You willlose money if you try to make your work too com- plicated by combining options and other vehicles with your investments before you know how to do it.
You willlose money if you fall behind in your homework.
Once you have entered an investment position, you must
“baby-sit” that position until it has been closed out or exited.
The Odds of Winning versus the Odds of Losing
Regardless of the methods you are using, it’s reasonable to ask about the odds of success. Here are some of my thoughts re- garding this important question. As you know, investing is not a surefire, foolproof proposition. There is always a risk of loss. In fact, the odds of losing on any one investment may be greater than the odds of winning on any one investment. But that’s not important in the scheme of things. What’s important is the bot- tom line, or end result. However, the process of getting to the bottom line profitably is an important one. I would estimate that if you can follow a solid method or stock selection, such as the MOM, combining it with the principles of the GIM and STF methods I taught you earlier, your odds of making money should be over 60 percent. Remember, this estimate assumes that you have followed the rules and requirements outlined in previous chapters. I do not expect you to be perfect; however, I do remind you that your overall success is very much dependent on consis- tency. You can work very hard to double your money only to watch all of your profit disappear because of one mistake that could have been avoided.
The Six Major Vehicles to Financial Freedom
There are six vehicles that you can use, either individually or in combination, to take you to your goal using the MOM method
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described in this book. When combined with the rules of the GIM and the STF techniques, these vehicles can help you make consistent profits on your investments, even if you begin with a small amount of money. These six vehicles are:
1. Stocks. By stocks, I mean the good old-fashioned stock market. I am not suggesting any sophisticated strategies, options programs, or highly speculative undertakings.
2. Stock options. This more specialized field is also capable of being your vehicle to success; however, the game is a much more difficult one and requires considerably more exper- tise. Many brokers will tell you that if you have limited capital, stock options can be your best bet. I disagree. In reality, too many investors lose money with stock options, and I therefore suggest if you are a beginner that you steer clear. See the Resources at the back of the book for some information sources that might assist you in learning more about the stock options market.
3. Mutual funds. Mutual funds are truly a wonderful area for the small investor; however, not all mutual funds are cre- ated equal. I will discuss this in Chapters 9 and 10.
4. Single stock futures. This is a new area of investment, but one that is highly speculative. Instead of putting up 100 percent of your money to buy stocks, you put up 20 per- cent of the money. This is called leverage. It can work for you or it can work against you. If you’re a new investor, I suggest steering clear of single stock futures (SSFs) until you have gained some experience. SSFs should be traded only by experienced investors. Read my book, How to Trade the New Single Stock Futures(Dearborn Trade, 2002).
5. and 6. Futures and Futures options. Futures and futures op- tions are the single most risky investments and definitely not recommended for the newcomer. In fact, even expe- rienced investors should stay away from this market, un- less or until they have accumulated healthy nest eggs in their accounts. Futures trading can be a highly effective addition to a stock portfolio; however, it is risky, volatile, and only appropriate for higher-risk investors. Those who want to learn about futures trading are advised to get my book, Profit in the Futures Markets! (Bloomberg Press, 2002).
The seasoned investor may consider all of the above either individually or in combination as part of an overall investment program. But remember that when it comes to investing, learn- ing how to “walk” before you “run” is paramount to your finan- cial well-being. You don’t want to take your hard-earned money and throw it away by playing a game that is dominated by pro- fessionals whose only goal is to take your money.