As the title of this post suggests, this article goes into my history as a Seeking Alpha writer, my current thoughts on previously recommended companies, and some successes I had along the way, but also what and how I have learned during my journey. It also discusses part of my thought process in regards to the reason I may have recommended a stock and suggestions pertaining to it.
It goes through my experience over the 16 months as a writer and an investor. It goes through my ups, downs, and even atrocious recommendations. Most importantly, it goes through my past and present thought process on the past companies I have recommended, but also how I have learned a great deal over that time.
Unfortunately, investors are a lot like teenagers. They know everything; expect instant gratification; take unnecessary risks; fall in love easily; ignore voices of experience; prefer the easy approach. Lessons of the past just can't apply to what's going on now. Duh, dude!
Today's obsession with short-term blinks of the investment eye is Wall Street's attempt to take the market cycle out of the performance picture. Similarly, total return hocus-pocus places artificial significance on bond market values while it obscures the importance of the income produced. WCM users will have none of it; the investment gods are angry.
Crash! The 2007 thru 2008 financial crisis halved 401(k), IRA, and Mutual Fund values in a matter of months. For many, retirement dates had to be pushed back; for others, new jobs had to be found. The tragic flaw? No income allocation in the investment program. Market value builds egos; income pays the bills.
Most people enter the investment process tip first. They hear something, grab an idea from a popular blog, accept a Cramerism or some motley foolishness, and think that they are making investment decisions. Rarely, will the right-now, instant-gratification, Internet-generation speculator think in terms that go beyond tomorrow's breaking news.
As I got home today I remembered that I had bought a lottery ticket for the mega millions last week, of course immediately all those thoughts of the things I could do with all that money came flooding in. Hmm a new car, new house, retire... I went to the computer and looked up the numbers... guess what?
