Author: Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

☆°▪︎ DEEP INTO THE REACH (I YEARN) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

I

yearn

.

d

e

e

p

.

into

.

t

h

e

.

reach . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

yearn . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

yearn

–

–

far

beyond

–

–

the

dawn . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

yearn . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

yearn

.

f

o

r

.

less . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

yearn

.

f

o

r

.

more . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

yearn

.

f

o

r

.

what

.

l

i

e

s

.

beyond

.

t

h

e

.

shore . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

yearn

.

f

o

r

.

what

.

l

i

e

s

.

beyond

.

t

h

e

.

shore . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Beyond

.

t

h

e

.

shore

–

–

there

is

.

s

o

.

much

more . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Beyond

.

t

h

e

.

shore

–

–

there

.

i

s

.

much

.

t

o

.

explore . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

There

.

i

s

.

much

.

t

o

.

explore . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

There

.

i

s

.

much

.

t

o

.

explore . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

There

.

i

s

.

much

.

t

o

.

explore . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

beyond

.

t

h

e

.

shore . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ beyond

.

t

h

e

.

shore

.

t

h

a

t

.

roars

.

a

n

d

.

pours . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

roars

.

a

n

d

.

pours . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

roars

.

a

n

d

.

pours . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

roars

.

a

n

d

.

pours . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

implores . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

s

o

–

–

–

I

yearn . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

yearn

.

d

e

e

p

.

into

.

t

h

e

.

reach . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

yearn

.

d

e

e

p

.

into

.

t

h

e

.

reach . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

yearn

.

d

e

e

p

.

into

.

t

h

e

.

reach . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

yearn.

Reflection: This is a personal struggle-themed poem where the affected party restlessly seeks and wants but cannot seem to find a way to satisfy that hunger. I wrote most of this poem by listening to “Nights in White Satin” by The Moody Blues which I played repeatedly in the background to create the “moodset” for the poem. And it worked well. If you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

☆°▪︎ TO THE MOON (I MOVED YOU) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

I

merged

.

w

i

t

h

.

the

mood . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

merged

.

w

i

t

h

.

the

mood . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

merged

.

w

i

t

h

.

the

mood . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

moved

you

.

t

o

.

the

moon . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ I

moved

you

.

t

o

.

the

moon . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

i

n

–

–

–

the

rapture

.

o

f

.

that

room . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ in

.

t

h

e

.

rapture

.

o

f

.

that

room . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

where

.

t

h

e

.

wants,

–

–

words,

.

a

n

d

.

whispers

brewed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

wants,

–

–

words,

.

a

n

d

.

whispers

brewed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

i

n

–

–

–

the

rapture

.

o

f

.

that

room . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

w

i

t

h

–

–

–

the

movements

smooth . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

the

new

.

i

n

.

bloom . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

new

.

w

a

s

.

in

bloom . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

new

.

w

a

s

.

in

bloom . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

new

.

w

a

s

.

in

bloom . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

when

I

merged

.

w

i

t

h

.

the

mood . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ when

I

merged

.

w

i

t

h

.

the

mood . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

moved

you

.

t

o

.

the

moon.

Reflection: 

This is a romance-themed poem where the contemplator fondly looks back on a special, romantic experience. I wrote most of this poem by listening to “My One and Only Love” by James Sanborn which I played repeatedly in the background to create the “moodset” for the poem. And it worked well. If you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

☆°▪︎ TO BECOME ANOTHER ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

I

.

w

a

s

.

one,

.

a

n

d

.

became

another . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

became

another . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

then

another . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

then

another . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

then

another . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

u

n

t

i

l

–

–

–

all

.

o

f

.

the

warmth

.

a

n

d

.

colors

.

.

f

r

o

m

.

.

all

.

t

h

e

.

others

–

–

I

explored

.

a

n

d

.

loved

before . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ from

all

.

t

h

e

.

others

–

–

I

explored

.

a

n

d

.

loved

before . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

poured

upon

.

t

h

e

–

future

shores . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

They

poured

upon

–

t

h

e

–

future

shores . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

They

poured

upon

–

t

h

e

–

future

shores . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

They

poured

upon

–

t

h

e

–

future

shores . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

all

I

aspired

.

t

o

.

become

.

a

n

d

.

more . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

s

o

–

–

–

I

.

w

a

s

.

one,

.

a

n

d

.

became

another . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

became

another . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

then

another . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

then

another . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

then

another . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

u

n

t

i

l

–

–

–

I

absorbed

–

–

each,

.

a

n

d

.

all

.

o

f

.

the

warmth

.

a

n

d

.

colors . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

absorbed

–

–

each,

.

a

n

d

.

all . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

absorbed

–

–

each,

.

a

n

d

.

all . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

absorbed

–

–

each,

.

a

n

d

.

all

–

–

o

f

–

–

the

warmth

.

a

n

d

.

colors . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

r

o

m

–

–

–

all

.

t

h

e

.

others

–

–

I

explored

.

a

n

d

–

loved

before.

Reflection: This is a reflection-themed poem where the contemplator looks back on and appreciates all those who influenced and contributed to the person he or she has become today. I wrote this poem by listening to “From the Beginning” by Emerson, Lake, and Palmer which I played repeatedly in the background to create the “moodset” for the poem. And it worked well. If you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

☆°▪︎ REGRET SINGS RELENTLESSLY (THE HAUNTING TUNES OF TRUTH) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

I

achieved

–

–

my

dream . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

you

achieved

–

–

your

dream . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

u

t

–

–

–

it’s

not

nearly

–

a

s

–

sweet

–

a

s

–

initially

seemed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

not

nearly

–

a

s

–

sweet . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

not

nearly

–

a

s

–

sweet . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

not

nearly

–

a

s

–

sweet

–

a

s

–

initially

seemed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

I

am

here . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

you

are

there . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

w

i

t

h

–

–

–

accum

ulating

time

–

a

n

d

–

distance

between . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

time

–

a

n

d

–

distance . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

distance

–

a

n

d

–

time . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

were

all

–

–

the

rewards

–

w

e

–

would

find . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

r

o

m

–

–

–

all

–

o

f

–

that

romance,

–

a

n

d

–

rapture,

–

a

n

d

–

rhyme . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

time

–

a

n

d

–

distance . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

distance

–

a

n

d

–

time . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

dimming

–

t

h

e

–

days

–

–

gone

by . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

dimming . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

dimming . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

dimming . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

t

h

e

–

–

–

days

–

–

gone

by . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

r

o

m

–

–

–

all

–

o

f

–

that

romance,

–

a

n

d

–

rapture,

–

a

n

d

–

rhyme . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

before

–

w

e

–

pursued

–

–

those

dreams

–

i

n

–

our

youth . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

not

knowing

–

–

how

much

–

w

e

–

might

lose . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ not

knowing

–

–

how

much

–

w

e

–

might

lose . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

regret

sings

–

–

relent

lessly,

–

–

the

most

–

–

haunting

tunes

–

o

f

–

truth . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Regret

sings

–

–

relent

lessly . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Regret

sings

–

–

relent

lessly . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

Regret

sings

–

–

relent

lessly . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

t

h

e

–

–

–

most

–

–

haunting

tunes

–

o

f

–

truth . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

it’s

not

achieve

ment

–

o

f

–

the

goal

–

–

that

fills

–

–

the

soul . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It’s

not

achieve

ment

–

o

f

–

the

goal . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It’s

not

achieve

ment

–

o

f

–

the

goal . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It’s

not

achieve

ment

–

o

f

–

the

goal . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

that

fills

–

–

the

soul . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

u

t

–

–

–

who

–

i

s

–

with

you

–

–

when

–

y

o

u

–

go . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

who

–

i

s

–

with

you

–

–

where

–

y

o

u

–

go . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

who

–

i

s

–

with

you

–

–

a

t

–

–

the

end

–

o

f

–

that

road.

Reflection: This poem was largely inspired by the ending of “La La Land” where actress Emma Stone looks at Ryan Gosling playing the piano who both have separate new lives (especially her with a husband and child) and shares a secret smile with him for the times gone by that her husband/child know nothing about. It was a great moment in the movie.

☆°▪︎ THE ARTIST IN THE SKY ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

The

artist

.

i

n

.

the

sky

–

–

paints

a

–

–

passing,

–

–

pleasure

–

–

paradise . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

artist

.

i

n

.

the

sky

–

–

tells

.

m

e

.

today

.

w

i

l

l

.

smile

.

s

o

.

wide

.

.

a

n

d

.

.

be

.

s

o

.

bright . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

artist

.

i

n

.

the

sky

–

–

makes

even

.

t

h

e

.

cold

.

a

n

d

.

contrite

–

–

seem

warm

.

a

n

d

.

kind . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

artist

.

i

n

.

the

sky . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

artist

.

i

n

.

the

sky . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

resides

solely

.

i

n

.

my

mind.

Reflection: This is a simple reflection-themed poem.

☆°▪︎ SUPERFICIAL SUNSHINE (I WOULD CLIMB THE SKIES) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

I

loved

.

y

o

u

.

more . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

loved

.

y

o

u

.

more . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

loved

.

y

o

u

.

more . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

than

anyone . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

than

anywhere . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

than

anything . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

before . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

loved

.

y

o

u

.

more . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

loved

.

y

o

u

.

more . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

than

anyone . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

than

anywhere . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

than

anything . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

before . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

I

would

climb

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

highs

.

o

f

.

even

.

t

h

e

.

darkest,

.

d

e

e

p

e

s

t

.

dismal

skies . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

would

climb

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

highs . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

would

climb

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

highs . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

would

climb

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

highs

.

o

f

.

even

.

t

h

e

.

darkest,

.

d

e

e

p

e

s

t

.

dismal

skies . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

mile,

–

–

after

mile,

–

–

after

mile,

–

–

after

mile . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

time,

–

–

after

time,

–

–

after

time,

–

–

after

time . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

would

climb . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

would

climb . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

would

climb . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

o

r

–

–

–

those

smiling

lies . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

would

climb

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

sighs . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

superficial

sunshine . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

would

climb

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

sighs . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

would

climb

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

sighs . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

would

climb

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

sighs . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

superficial

sunshine . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

day,

–

–

after

night,

–

–

after

day . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

night,

–

–

after

day,

–

–

after

night . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

even

during

–

–

those

times

–

–

when

I

waited

.

o

n

.

stand-by . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

would

climb

.

f

o

r

.

those

lies . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

would

climb

.

f

o

r

.

those

lies . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

I

would

climb

.

f

o

r

.

the

lies,

–

–

–

that

smile,

–

–

behind

–

–

blinding

aisles . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ they

smile

–

–

behind

–

–

blinding

aisles . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

that

design

–

–

a

life

–

–

full

.

o

f

.

wintertime . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ they

design

–

–

a

life

–

–

full

.

o

f

.

wintertime . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

which

slides,

.

a

n

d

.

slips,

.

a

n

d

.

slides . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ it

slides,

.

a

n

d

.

slips,

.

a

n

d

.

slides . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

u

t

–

–

–

still

likes

.

t

o

.

climb . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

still

likes

.

t

o

.

climb . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

still

likes

.

t

o

.

climb . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

still

likes

.

t

o

.

climb . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

into

.

t

h

e

.

highs . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

into

.

t

h

e

.

lies . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

into

.

t

h

e

.

sighs . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

superficial

sunshine.

Reflection: This is a personal struggle-themed poem where the affected party has an addiction problem which he/she cannot seem to overcome. Part of the problem is that he/she focuses more on the “fun” and “excitement” of the more appetizing moments of the initial experience instead of the stress, anxiety, pain, and damage it causes after those initial, appetizing moments fade. I started thinking about how a love of drugs or addictions could be similar to love in a relationship and wrote the poem starting out with this idea in mind. I wrote this poem by listening to “Medicine” by Gus Dapperton which I played repeatedly in the background at low volume to create the “moodset” for the poem. And it worked well. If you listen to the song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.

☆°▪︎ A RHAPSODY ON REPEAT (I NEVER KNEW YOUR NAME) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

Every

new,

–

–

romantic

dream

–

–

becomes

–

–

a

rhapsody

.

o

n

.

repeat . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ a

rhapsody

.

o

n

.

repeat . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

w

h

e

n

–

–

–

you’re

playing

.

f

o

r

.

possibilities . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ playing

.

f

o

r

.

possibilities . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ playing

.

f

o

r

.

possibilities . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ playing

.

f

o

r

.

possibilities . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

a

rhapsody

.

o

n

.

repeat.

Reflection: This is a romantic-themed poem where the contemplator continually seeks opportunities and possibilities but never seems to be satisfied – leading to a rhapsody on repeat. This tiny poem came into being as I was walking home from a bar one night when the line “always playing for possibilities” came to mind, and really resonated with me. So, I modified it slightly and it really worked as a short poem.

☆°▪︎ A SECRET SMILE (OF A LIFE OTHERWISE) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

We

stared

.

i

n

t

o

.

the

starshine

.

o

f

.

a

.

secret

smile . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

created

together

.

b

y

.

you

.

a

n

d

.

I . . .

.

.

.

.

.

.

We

created

.

i

t

.

together,

.

.

a

n

d

.

.

savored

.

t

h

e

.

starshine

.

o

f

.

that

.

secret

smile . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

r

o

m

–

–

–

all

.

t

h

e

.

times

.

gone

by . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ from

all

.

t

h

e

.

times

.

gone

by . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

eyes,

.

teasing

eyes,

.

teasing

eyes,

.

teasing

eyes . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ all

.

t

h

e

.

times

.

gone

by . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

eyes,

.

teasing

eyes,

.

teasing

eyes,

.

teasing

eyes . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

v

e

r

–

–

–

romantic

rhyme

.

a

n

d

.

candlelight

wine . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ that

romantic

rhyme

.

a

n

d

.

candlelight

wine,

.

served

.

i

n

.

high,

.

midnight

style,

.

w

i

t

h

.

the

starshine

.

o

f

.

a

.

secret

smile . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ the

starshine

.

o

f

.

a

.

secret

smile . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

f

r

o

m

–

–

–

all

.

t

h

e

.

times

.

gone

by . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ from

all

.

t

h

e

.

times

.

gone

by . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

created

together . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

created

together . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

created

together . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

y

–

–

–

you

.

a

n

d

.

I . . .

.

.

.

.

.

.

i

n

–

–

–

the

days

.

o

f

.

delight,

.

once

kind

.

a

n

d

.

bright . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ the

days

.

o

f

.

delight,

.

once

kind

.

a

n

d

.

bright . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

n

o

w

–

–

–

dimming

behind . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

s

–

–

–

we

.

journey

.

through

.

our

.

n

e

w

.

lives . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ as

.

w

e

.

journey

.

through

.

our

.

n

e

w

.

lives . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

otherwise.

Reflection: This is a romantic-themed poem where a previous couple from an old romance run into each other again years later. For a moment they relive the cherished moments they shared together. This poem was inspired by the ending of “La La Land” where actress Emma Stone looks at Ryan Gosling playing the piano who both now have separate new lives (especially her with a husband and child) – they share a secret smile for the times gone by that her husband/child know nothing about.  It was a great moment in the movie.

HOW TO LOSE YOUR SHIRT IN THE STOCK MARKET WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SHORTS TOO (PART FOUR)!

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

It’s always a good idea to adjust your investment strategies over time. Those of you who have been following me closely know that I had a real “knack” back in 2022 for picking losing stocks. However, I refused to let them go and continued buying into them as the buy signals got stronger with every drop, and they became more and more attractive, with respect to all of the indicators I use to make investment decisions. And, as usual, I generally refuse to sell on “buy” signals and frequently do the opposite. I wrote about this back in March and April and didn’t realize at the time that this would become a multi-part series but that is how things played out. Here it is many months later and I am still fighting the downs and ups and downs of what has been a highly volatile stock market over the past year (most of which have been downs). The fight continues but it appears my latest strategies have worked extremely well.

The strategy I used for much of 2022 involved continuing to buy stocks I owned which dropped substantially. However, later in the year I changed this strategy by trying to find new stocks which appeared to be just as attractive and buying those instead. That allowed me to take losses – when sensible to do so on the losing stocks – without invoking the wash sale rule – plus it didn’t allow certain stocks to dominate the performance of my portfolio as much as they had in the past. You can read about my previous strategies and how they evolved throughout 2022 by seeing part one, part two, and part three of this series.

There’s no question about me having a pretty lousy year in 2022 – it was my first down year in 11 years – but sometimes that will happen as an investor. The low point for me was when I was 142% invested (yes – I was using margin) and down 41.19% for 2022. At the end of 2022 I was 96% invested and down 23.6% for the year. So, things improved as the year progressed.

Is there any guarantee a given strategy will work? Of course not. Investing is primarily about making decisions based on various indicators, the associated likelihoods, and employing strategies accordingly. So, at best you can position yourself for a potential favorable return, but there is never a guarantee.

If I had not evolved my techniques and continued using my previous investment strategies, I would have been down 70% by the end of 2022. So, I’m very thankful that I modified my investment strategies throughout the year. As a point of reference, Kathy Wood’s ARKK stock gained 150% back in 2020 (nearly as much as my 164% gain), lost 23% back in 2021 when I had earned an 8.7% gain, and lost 69% in 2022 when I had lost 23.6%. So, I feel pretty good about ending 2022 with not too bad of a loss relatively speaking.

Things have been very different in 2023 so far and – although I had an entire year of downs and ups and downs throughout 2022 – I have gained 36% this year in just a little over 4 weeks! That’s about a 5-year gain in just over 4 weeks time! So, I’ve recovered all of my losses from last year (and then some). I always tell people that it makes sense to stay invested and to continue buying into downturns – even when things go badly – because when it turns… it turns. And you want to be fully invested to the extent possible when that happens.

I’ve done so well this year that I am now in the mode of “selling every gain.” So, every time my overall portfolio experiences additional gains, I actively look for more stocks to sell. I’m about 50% invested right now so I am finally becoming more of a lower risk investor much to my relief.

I was a high risk investor throughout 2022 (much to my dismay). I moved from being a low risk investor (back in 2021 – which is the level of risk I am supposed to be at given my financial circumstances) to a high risk investor throughout 2022. That was never supposed to happen. However, I am very much relieved that I still have the ability to “fight it out” and survive as a high risk investor. Needless to say, I will be making additional changes to tighten my techniques so that I don’t become as much of a high risk investor in the future.

I’m happy that I had the foresight to continue modifying my investment strategies. It really has paid off. This is something you always want to get into the practice of doing. Observe what happens and make adjustments to your investment strategies so that you can work towards improving your investment performance over time in accordance with your risk profile. I happen to presently be a low risk investor (although throughout 2022 I was temporarily high risk) but many of you will probably be higher risk investors. So, your investment strategies will probably need to be a bit more aggressive than mine.

You can be a very successful investor if you effectively use all of the tools and techniques available to maximize your investment returns. It’s been an interesting investing experiment I’ve been running so far for 2022-2023. We’ll see how things go in the future.

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.

Happy investing everyone!

#finance #stocks #investing #stockmarket #success

☆°▪︎ A DANCE THAT COULD NOT LAST (THE HAUNTING STRANDS) ▪︎°☆

Posted on by Joseph M. Brennan Jr.

A

glance

–

–

became

–

–

a

dance

.

a

n

d

.

then

–

–

a

chance

.

a

t

.

romance . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

was

–

–

a

chance . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

was

–

–

a

chance . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

It

was

–

–

a

chance . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

t

–

–

–

romance . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

b

u

t

–

–

–

it

happened

.

s

o

.

sudden,

.

a

n

d

.

so

fast . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

that

.

i

t

.

could

.

n

o

t

.

last . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

 ~ it

could

.

n

o

t

.

last . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

the

moment

passed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

moment

passed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

moment

passed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

moment

passed . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

leaving

only

.

t

h

e

.

haunting

strands

.

o

f

.

endearing

echoes

.

i

n

.

hopeful

hands . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

haunting

strands . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

haunting

strands . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

The

haunting

strands . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

a

glance . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

o

f

–

–

–

a

dance . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

a

n

d

–

–

–

of

a

chance . . .

–

–

–

.

.

.

which

could

.

n

o

t

.

last.

Reflection: This was a popular romantic-themed poem that I wrote back in January of 2023. I was looking to write a poem that went well with the haunting gem of a song (“Ramona” by Beck). I came across a Facebook profile of a wonderful person I met years ago who was with his fiancé at the time. I looked at his photos and saw what a wonderful married and family life they had created together over the years. I then thought about how sad it would have been had the key, starting moments had never happened and wrote this poem from that perspective which went along very well with the Beck song. Come to think of it, even a more recent friend has started down the same wonderful path with his fiancé and I might have been subconsciously thinking about that when writing this as well. Inspiration can come from pretty much everywhere when you write. If you listen to the Beck song at low volume while reading this poem, you might better get the “feel” of it.