Author: Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

DON’T LISTEN TO INVESTMENT EXPERTS… BE A MONKEY INSTEAD

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Always be a bit cautious when “experts” tout their past successes in making stock picks. I find it a bit humorous when individuals and companies advertise their winning stock picks in retrospect saying “we recommended these” (with the implication, of course, that we know how to pick winning stocks so you should listen to us for future stock picks). In this particular post, 3 highly successful stocks are highlighted in hindsight (https://www.fool.com/ext-content/3-stocks-for-the-economy-of-the-future/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=contentmarketing&utm_campaign=ecomsa-dig-boom&aid=9502&paid=9502&waid=9502&source=esafbwdg0217760&psource=esafbwdg0217760&wsource=esafbwdg0217760&utm_content=%7B%7Bad.name%7D%7D&exitpop=false&autoplay=false&fbclid=IwAR3ghhPYiarn5bN-yo1Yhi5FrzJXQJ7e44-qeRc_wS2gsiJUH2xTzQVcjG8&testId=a-sa-dig-econ&cellId=0&campaign=sa-digital-economy).

What they don’t tell you is that they’ve recommended thousands of companies over that time frame – many of which have gone bankrupt or have substantially underperformed. And, just by chance alone, when you have recommended thousands of company stocks over the years, being able to find 3 which have highly outperformed in that set, in hindsight, is no big accomplishment and takes no talent at all. Monkeys tossing darts at a dartboard of various stock names are likely to do as well by chance alone (or perhaps even better since they have no preconceived notions).

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing and gain key investing insights and skills (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books…/).

Also, you can read all about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities/

I wish you much success in creating a brighter financial future for yourself, your loved ones, and those who follow!

#finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #success

MY BLUNDER AS AN INVESTMENT “EXPERT”

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

I was such an excellent “expert” investor in the 1990s, earned so much money in the stock market during that decade, and was so confident in my investing “skills” that in 1999-2000 I came up with a great idea. I took out a loan against my 401k, took a cash advance against one of my credit cards, and put all of that into the stock market because, well, “everything was going up,” you know. And what could possibly go wrong? Well, I earned about a -50% gain by the end of the dot com bubble.

Yeah. I was so good that I got back about half and still had to pay back the loans and cash advances. Thank goodness I didn’t have a margin account back then.

So, when you see me making jokes about “expert” investors these days – well, just know that I was one of those myself back in the 1990s during my early days as an investor. And my “retire in my 30s buy everything because everything is going up” plan didn’t quite work out the way I expected back then. A favorite movie line by a mangled survivor from a horror movie (one of the Saw movies I believe) comes to mind who willingly submitted to being tied up: “Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time…”

In hindsight, though, all of this was a valuable lesson. Don’t be overconfident. Don’t be an emotional investor. Curb your enthusiasm. And always come up with investment rules and plans “up front,” make adjustments to them over time, and remember to stick with them – especially during periods of chaos and volatility.

You’re welcome! 🙂

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing and gain key investing insights and skills (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books…/).

Also, you can read all about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities/

I wish you much success in creating a brighter financial future for yourself, your loved ones, and those who follow!

#finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #success

ALWAYS DEFINE INVESTMENT RULES UP FRONT, ADJUST THEM OVER TIME, AND STICK TO THEM

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

It’s always difficult predicting market tops. And you can’t necessarily assume things will happen similar and have the same effects as in the past with respect to the Fed, fiscal stimulus, and such.

I mean, in the previous recession, the housing market got crushed. This time the housing market sales and prices jumped. A lot. And throughout the entire recession. I mean who could have predicted that?

However, it’s a well established fact that people often lose more money anticipating market drops than from the actual market drops themselves. And most of the gains you’ll ever receive often happens right before major market tops. So, you kind of don’t want to miss out on those.

So, overall, I think people probably should keep investing but tighten their rules a bit, make less risky trades, and have a good cushion on of cash on hand to take advantage of significant drops.

Discipline, discipline, discipline. That is what’s key. Define your rules up front, adjust (tighten, loosen, etc.) them as needed, and stick with them. I frequently create rules for myself as an investor to guide and curb risk taking. For example, here are one of my current more macro market rules:

“BUY NEW STOCKS UP TO 15% OF INVESTMENT ACCOUNT. THEN STICK TO ONLY BUYING MORE OF THE EXISTING STOCKS UNTIL THE S&P 500 INDEX (SPX) DROPS SIGNIFICANTLY AND I ASSIGN IT A ‘STRONG BUY’ RATING. AT THAT POINT, I WILL START SCREENING AND PERHAPS CONSIDERING TO BUY NEW STOCKS.”

One of my more micro, individual stock rules are:

“AFTER BUYING INITIAL SHARES OF A STOCK, WAIT FOR AT LEAST A 10% DROP BEFORE CONSIDERING BUYING MORE.”

The above rules work pretty well for me as a lower risk investor. However, they are different today than they were years ago when I was a higher risk investor. And I adjust my rules based on whatever happens.

For example, when the markets started dropping back in February-March 2020, I had a pre-planned rule of:

“BUY 10% OF MY INVESTMENT ACCOUNT WHEN THE SPX DROPS 10%, BUY 2% MORE FOR EVERY SPX DROP OF 1% BEYOND THAT UNTIL SPX DROPS 15%, BUY 3% MORE FOR EVERY SPX DROP OF 1% BEYOND THAT UNTIL SPX DROPS 20%, AND BUY 4% MORE FOR EVERY SPX DROP OF 1% BEYOND THAT.”And that worked like a charm!I also have rules for selling.

So, do yourself a favor and come up with your investment rules beforehand, make adjustments as needed, and stick with them – especially during periods of chaos and volatility. Regarding what most concerns me going forward, well, I wrote a post recently about that: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/storm-clouds-on-the-horizon-the-bond-markets-and-the-low-risk-safe-haven-facade/

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing and gain key investing insights and skills (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books…/).

Also, you can read all about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities/

#finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #success

☆°▪︎ A SHY SMILE (ALL THE WHILE) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

You

.

a

r

e

.

that

guy,

–

–

with

.

t

h

e

.

beautiful

smile . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ you

.

a

r

e

.

that

guy,

–

–

I’ve

wanted

.

a

l

l

.

the

while . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ a

fine,

–

–

white,

–

–

bright,

.

.

s

h

y.

.

.

smile,

–

–

kind

.

o

f

.

guy . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

filled

.

w

i

t

h

.

sunshine

.

a

n

d

.

summertime . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ filled

.

w

i

t

h

.

sunshine

.

a

n

d

.

summertime . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

reflected

within

.

t

h

e

.

aisles,

–

–

upon

aisles,

–

–

upon

aisles . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

hopeful,

–

–

wanting

eyes,

.

.

n

o

w

.

.

dimming

within

.

d

a

y

s

.

gone

by . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ a

sunshine

.

a

n

d

.

summertime

.

w

h

i

c

h

.

wines

.

a

n

d

.

dines

.

b

y

.

candlelight,

.

.

m

y

.

.

each

.

a

n

d

.

every

dream

.

o

f

.

delight . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ my

each

.

a

n

d

.

every

dream

.

o

f

.

delight . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

night,

–

–

after

night,

–

–

after

night,

–

–

after

night,

–

–

after

night . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

i

n

–

–

–

the

aisles . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ in

.

t

h

e

.

aisles

.

o

f

.

hopeful,

–

–

wanting

eyes . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

you

.

a

r

e

.

that

guy . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

You

.

a

r

e

.

that

guy . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

You

.

a

r

e

.

that

guy . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

with

.

t

h

e

.

.

beautiful

smile . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ you

.

a

r

e

.

that

guy . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I’ve

wanted

.

a

l

l

.

the

while.

Reflection: This was a romantic-themed poem that I wrote back in January of 2021 about a strong infatuation I had with someone I barely knew and only came into contact with occasionally. I used the haunting song “Another Thing” (and several other songs on the same album) by Homeshake playing in the background at low volume to create the “moodset” for this poem. If you listen to the song(s) at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

STORM CLOUDS ON THE HORIZON: THE BOND MARKETS AND THE “LOW-RISK SAFE HAVEN” FACADE

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

I’ve recently been thinking about the implications of “low-risk safe haven” bond market and bond fund investors losing a lot of money in those investments in the years to come and the bond market (bonds and bond funds/ETFs) losing its “low-risk safe haven” status resulting in substantial increases in interest rates, low confidence in abilities of the U.S. federal government being able to service its debts (perhaps even getting to the point similar to Greece or Italy), high inflation, future hesitancy of investors to buy bonds (government, municipal, and corporate) and bond funds/ETFs after years of losses resulting in still higher interest rates to entice new buyers, and a deteriorating economy and government/corporate finances due to the combination of these factors.

These are some of the dark clouds I’m seeing on the horizon. Lots of things to ponder and position for – especially since the perceived, historical, low-risk investments might actually become high-risk investments in the years to come. Perhaps the best longer term investment strategy will be investments which track longer term interest rates (e.g., shorting the longer-term bond market).

For perspective, take a look at the 10-year treasury rates (prices move in the opposite direction of yields) which have been falling for 40 years. The last time they went up consistently was during the 1960s and 1970s.

The bottom line is that bond prices (and bond funds for that matter) are extremely high right now (and yields extremely low) which means significant losses could be experienced by bond market and bond fund investors in the years to come.

For your reference, here’s an interesting article on debts and deficits: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/national-debt-affects-investments-212804085.html

Here’s another interesting article on bond market risk: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/why-financial-advisors-watch-bond-184731799.html

And here’s another interesting article on inflation: https://www.ally.com/do-it-right/trends/weekly-viewpoint-january-22-2021-inflation-affect-on-portfolio/

You can learn about all of my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of 4 books where you can learn the “end to end” process to investing and gain key investing insights and skills (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books…/).

Also, you can read all about my stock market activities here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities/

I wish you much success in creating a brighter financial future for yourself, your loved ones, and those who follow!

#finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #success

☆°▪︎ THE DAWN BEYOND ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

There

once

.

w

a

s

.

a

dawn,

–

–

long

beyond

–

–

where

.

t

h

a

t

.

road

.

h

a

d

.

gone . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ long

beyond

–

–

where

.

o

l

d

.

dreams

.

h

a

d

.

run,

.

.

s

o

.

.

young

.

a

n

d

.

fun

.

i

n

.

everyone . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

There

once

.

w

a

s

.

a

dawn . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

There

once

.

w

a

s

.

a

dawn . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

u

t

–

–

–

that

.

w

a

s

.

beats

before

.

y

o

u

.

came

along . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ that

.

w

a

s

.

bars

before

–

–

I

started

singing

.

t

h

a

t

.

song . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

There

once

.

w

a

s

.

a

dawn . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

u

t

–

–

–

now

even

–

–

brighter

days

.

a

r

e

.

black . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

drowning

.

i

n

.

the

lack . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

there’s

.

n

o

.

going

back . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ no,

there’s

.

n

o

.

going

back . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

There’s

.

n

o

.

going

back

.

t

o

.

the

days

.

t

h

a

t

.

used

.

t

o

.

smile

.

a

n

d

.

laugh . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ there’s

.

n

o

.

going

back . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

There’s

.

n

o

.

going

back

.

t

o

.

the

days

.

t

h

a

t

.

used

.

t

o

.

dance

.

a

n

d

.

clap . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ there’s

.

n

o

.

going

back . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

There

once

.

w

a

s

.

a

dawn,

–

–

long

beyond

–

–

where

.

t

h

a

t

.

road

.

h

a

d

.

gone . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ long

beyond

–

–

where

.

o

l

d

.

dreams

.

h

a

d

.

run,

.

.

s

o

.

.

young

.

a

n

d

.

fun

.

i

n

.

everyone . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

There

once

.

w

a

s

.

a

dawn . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

There

once

.

w

a

s

.

a

dawn . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

There

once

.

w

a

s

.

a

dawn . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

I’m

still

–

–

holding

on.

Reflection: 

This poem reflects a personal struggle where the sufferer looks back and broods about a past where possibilities and opportunities presented themselves but were cast aside on the roll of the dice that better, brighter things might come his or her way instead. They never had but there is the hope that the sufferer is still holding on and might better appreciate a future possibility or opportunity that comes his/her way.

I played the wonderful gem of a song “Holding On” by The War on Drugs in the background to create the “moodset” for the poem. If you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

HAPPINESS/SUCCESS TIP: MAINTAIN A SENSE OF OPENNESS, OBJECTIVITY, AND FLEXIBITY

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Here’s a Happiness/Success Tip on maintaining a sense of openness, objectivity, and flexibility throughout the days, months, years, and decades of your life. The human quality of consistency is overrated. Ways to learn and grow and evolve as a person include being open to new information and ideas and making adjustments along the way. This is an intelligent way to live and you’ll be much happier and more successful in life if you do.

So, get in the practice of embracing openness, objectivity, and flexibility and releasing close-mindedness, subjectivity, and rigidity. And don’t worry so much about maintaining a sense of consistency. Things change and you must adapt to these changes all along the way.

What a wonderful world we could all live in and share if we each lived in this fashion.

This and other happiness tips and topics are provided throughout my self-help, happiness, and investment oriented books: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/

#joy #love #gratitude #appreciation #selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #intention #fulfillment #success #inspiration #happiness #peace #mindfulness

HAPPINESS TIP ON LIVING SIMPLY

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Here’s a Happiness Tip on living simply.

What should you do with your life?

Enjoy it, smile a lot, and be happy.

Simply explore and experience anything and everything in life which might create these happy kinds of things for you.

It’s that simple.

You’re welcome! 🙂

This and other happiness tips and topics are provided throughout my self-help, happiness, and investment oriented books: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/

#joy #love #gratitude #appreciation #selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #intention #fulfillment #success #inspiration #happiness #peace #mindfulness

HAPPINESS TIP: ALWAYS LEAD WITH A SMILE AND HAPPY THOUGHTS TOWARDS OTHERS

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Here’s a simple Happiness Tip guaranteed to bring immediate and sustained joy throughout the days, weeks, and years of your life… Every time you come in contact with someone, lead with a smile and the thought: “I wish you much happiness and hope you find many reasons to laugh and smile today.” And mean it. You can also bring people in your life to mind (past and present) and do the same.

Observe how wonderful it makes you feel every time you do this – and do it often. What a wonderful world we could all share if we all did this. A world filled with joy and loving-kindness instead of judgment and negativity.

So, do this for yourself (and others) each and every day and smile a little more. 🙂

This and other happiness tips and topics are provided throughout my self-help, happiness, and investment oriented books: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/

#joy #love #gratitude #appreciation #selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #intention #fulfillment #success #inspiration #happiness #peace #mindfulness

HAPPINESS/SUCCESS TIP: MAKE SELF-CARE AND PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY A PRIORITY

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Self-care is often the most overlooked – but most important – first step to getting yourself into a positive place and feeling good. Most people feel much better within days or weeks just doing this on a regular, consistent basis. So, focus on this first: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/how-to-defeat…/

Also, the most powerful realization you can have is that you are creating the negativity and unhappiness you are experiencing. But that’s actually good news. Because if you are creating this, then you can do something to make things better.

Simply ask yourself “How am I creating this unhappiness and negativity?” Next ask, “What can I do to move in a positive direction?” Then do it.

I can’t tell you how many people I have helped throughout this pandemic just by focusing on the above. So, if you are going through a difficult time, give this a try. I guarantee that it will make a huge difference.

This and other happiness tips and topics are provided throughout my self-help, happiness, and investment oriented books: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/

#joy #love #gratitude #appreciation #selfimprovement #selfhelp #selfdevelopment #intention #fulfillment #success #inspiration #happiness #peace #mindfulness