Would that it were so... I've also been hit by some of the losers... I've bought (and held) CSRE for the better part of 3 years now... seeing it initially go up 50%, only to fall to it's current levels. I also bought some Singer, Templeton Vietnam fund (bleah!) and some of the Fletchers (back before the split). I'm also still holding LSI, and have bought it as high as $30.
I think my biggest problems have come when I didn't do the work to understand the stock and it's potential. I also differentiate stocks into ones that have good short-term potential, and those I'm willing to wait for the performance.
JD (as has been mentioned here before by myself and others) tends to have a better track record with financials (MONFA notwithstanding), and so I've bought a number of those (SEIC, CCR, STD, ESF) over time. I've also stated on here a few times, that if I can't get enough information on a stock to give myself a certain comfort level, I won't buy it. That's why I never quite bit on CPPKY (although I came close a couple of times), or CD to date. With CD, the situation regarding the accounting mess made me a little leary, but now would seem to be a great time to buy in.
I also tend to be a little slow on the trigger with sales. I usually won't buy a JD recommendation immediately after he announces it, but like to watch it for a while, and get a feel for the stock. That, again, has kept me out of the CD, PDG, and others, but also made me miss the run up in AT&T... oh well...
Lastly, it may be something I can't quite put my finger on, but for some stocks, I just get a feeling (maybe a proper level of comfort with the purchase) that I'm doing the right thing when I buy them. I should note that my largest stock holdings aren't even JD recommendations... but that's a different story altogether.
Hope some of this helps...
DWB |
