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NOTE: THIS PAGE ADDRESSES MY DAY-TO-DAY STOCK MARKET ACTIVITIES. MY POSTS ON INVESTING STRATEGIES ARE LOCATED HERE: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/category/financial-planning-management-and-investing-related-posts/ 

 

16 APR 2024:

Yesterday, in the bond market (since I am now a low-risk investor), I bought a CD paying 4.93% interest annually. And, as of the close of business today, I had earned a 3.3% gain in just one day! That almost never happens in the boring, old, bond market – but it did! I am presently about 8.5% invested in stocks and own shares of TBT, UVXY, GNK, COIN, VMEO, and ACCO. The remaining 91.5% of my portfolio is now invested in fixed income which fits much better with my low-risk investor profile. We’ll see what the rest of 2024 brings.

 

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. So, use any downtime you might have to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for 2024 (and beyond!).

 

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

 

 

4 MAR 2024:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of COIN (which gained 24% since I last sold it). I am presently about 9.5% invested in stocks and own shares of TBT, UVXY, GNK, COIN, VMEO, and ACCO. Most of my portfolio is now invested in fixed income which fits much better with my low-risk investor profile. We’ll see what the rest of 2024 brings.

 

 

 

 

1 MAR 2024:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of GNK (which gained 26% for that lot of shares) and VMEO (which gained 13% since I last sold it). I am presently about 10.5% invested in stocks and own shares of TBT, UVXY, GNK, COIN, VMEO, and ACCO. Most of my portfolio is now invested in fixed income which fits much better with my low-risk investor profile. We’ll see what the rest of 2024 brings.

 

 

14 FEB 2024:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold half of my shares of COIN. These are the shares I bought a week ago which jumped 37%! That’s about a 5-year gain on average in just a week! I am presently about 11.5% invested in stocks and own shares of TBT, UVXY, GNK, COIN, VMEO, and ACCO. Most of my portfolio is now invested in fixed income which fits much better with my low-risk investor profile. We’ll see what the rest of 2024 brings

 

 

5 FEB 2024:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought quite a few shares of COIN which has dropped 35% since I last sold it. I am presently about 13% invested in stocks and own shares of TBT, UVXY, GNK, COIN, VMEO, and ACCO. Most of my portfolio is now invested in fixed income which fits much better with my low-risk investor profile. We’ll see what the rest of 2024 brings.

 

 

29 DECEMBER 2023:

 

FINAL SCORE =>>> JOE: 57.2%, SPX: 24.2%

 

I had a really great year in the stock market this year. I experienced my first down year in 11 years last year (in 2022) when I lost 23.6% but more than made up for it this year with a gain of 57.2% which is about an 8-year gain in a single year!

 

I beat all of the major market indexes this year by a wide margin such as the S&P 500 index (+24.2%), Russell 2000 index (+15.1%), and Nasdaq index (+43.4%). So, 2023 was a great year for me and demonstrated I can still do well as a high-risk investor (I unintentionally became a high-risk investor in 2022 with the large stock market drop and am finally getting back to being a low-risk investor which is where I’m supposed to be at this stage of my investing). Most of my portfolio is now invested in fixed income which fits much better with my low-risk investor profile. We’ll see what 2024 brings.

 

I’ve done extremely well overall from year-to-year. Over the past 12 years my average annual gain is 35% (including the losses from 2022). So, that’s pretty darn good. This is about a 5-year gain on average for every year over the past 12 years. Here’s what the specific percentage gains/losses were:

2023 +57.20%
2022 -23.60%
2021 +8.70%
2020 +164.00%
2019 +20.00%
2018 +14.00%
2017 +15.00%
2016 +22.00%
2015 +73.00%
2014 +19.20%
2013 +16.40%
2012 +34.90%

 

I improved my investment strategies this year as I try to do every year. HOW TO LOSE YOUR SHIRT IN THE STOCK MARKET WITHOUT LOSING YOUR SHORTS TOO (PART FOUR)! | BRIGHTER DAYS LIFE COACHING®

and A BREAK IN THE CLOUDS: THE RETURN OF LOW-RISK SAFE HAVEN INVESTMENTS VIA THE BOND MARKET | BRIGHTER DAYS LIFE COACHING® are two notable examples.

 

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. So, use any downtime you might have to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for 2024 (and beyond!).

 

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

 

I wish you much investing success for 2024 (and beyond!).

 

28 Dec 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold quite a few shares of my losing stocks this year so that I can offset some of the capital gains taxes I would otherwise have to pay (the process is frequently called “Tax Loss Harvesting” – you can read about that here: MAXIMIZE STOCK MARKET RETURNS BY PERFORMING TAX LOSS HARVESTING TO MINIMIZE TAX BURDEN | BRIGHTER DAYS LIFE COACHING®). I sold all of my shares of UVXY and about half of my shares of ACCO and VMEO.

 

I am presently about 11.5% invested in stocks and own shares of TBT, UVXY, GNK, COIN, VMEO, and ACCO. Most of my portfolio is now invested in fixed income which fits much better with my low-risk investor profile. My portfolio has gained 57% this year so far and has greatly outperformed each of the major stock indexes. We’ll see what 2024 brings.

 

 

27 Dec 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold about a third of my remaining shares of COIN for an additional 15% gain since the last time I sold it a week ago. I also sold about a third of my remaining shares of GNK for a 25% gain. Lastly, I bought a few shares of TBT which positions for an increase in the longer term (20 year) bond interest rate. This is the inverse of TLT – which positions a decrease in the longer term (20 year) bond interest rate – which I sold two weeks ago in anticipation of rising interest rates.

 

I am presently about 15.5% invested in stocks (including a 0.5% hedge via UVXY) and own shares of TBT, UVXY, GNK, COIN, VMEO, and ACCO. Most of my portfolio is now invested in fixed income which fits much better with my low-risk investor profile. My portfolio has gained 57% this year so far and has greatly outperformed each of the major stock indexes. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

19 Dec 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold about half of my remaining shares of COIN for an additional 26% gain since the last time I sold it two weeks ago. I am presently about 15.5% invested in stocks (including a 0.5% hedge via UVXY) and own shares of UVXY, GNK, COIN, VMEO, and ACCO. Most of my portfolio is now invested in fixed income which fits much better with my low-risk investor profile. My portfolio has gained 56% this year so far and has greatly outperformed each of the major stock indexes. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

14 Dec 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold TLT for a 19% gain which was one of my hedges positioned for longer term interest rates to fall. I don’t anticipate longer term interest rates falling much more so I thought this might be a good time to sell. I also sold all my remaining shares of ASPN. I am presently about 17.5% invested in stocks (including a 0.5% hedge via UVXY) and own shares of UVXY, GNK, COIN, VMEO, and ACCO. Most of my portfolio is now invested in fixed income which fits much better with my low-risk investor profile. My portfolio has gained 55% this year so far and has greatly outperformed each of the major stock indexes. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

5 Dec 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold half of my remaining shares of ASPN which jumped 20% in the after hours market. I am presently about 19% invested in stocks (including a 2% hedge via TLT and UVXY) and own shares of TLT, UVXY, ASPN, GNK, COIN, VMEO, and ACCO. Most of my portfolio is now invested in fixed income which fits much better with my low-risk investor profile. My portfolio has gained 52% this year so far and has greatly outperformed each of the major stock indexes. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

29 Nov 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a little over a third of my remaining shares of COIN. COIN has been one of my best investments ever! It has gained 285% year-to-date (81% in the past month alone)! This is about a 40-year gain on average in just 11 months (or an 11.5-year gain in just one month). So, it makes sense to sell some shares.

 

I am presently about 20% invested in stocks (including a 2% hedge via TLT and UVXY) and own shares of TLT, UVXY, ASPN, GNK, COIN, VMEO, and ACCO. Most of my portfolio is now invested in fixed income which fits much better with my low-risk investor profile. My portfolio has gained 51% this year so far and has greatly outperformed each of the major stock indexes. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

15 Nov 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of COIN and ASPN – for a 32% gain each. I am presently about 21% invested in stocks (including a 2% hedge via TLT and UVXY) and own shares of TLT, UVXY, ASPN, GNK, COIN, VMEO, and ACCO. Most of my portfolio is now invested in fixed income which fits much better with my low-risk investor profile. My portfolio has gained 48% this year so far and has greatly outperformed each of the major stock indexes. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

20 Oct 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of TLT which is a long-term 20+ year bond ETF that pays a 4.06% annual dividend. This is the first time in a very long time that I have even considered buying bonds or bond funds/ETFs due to the risks I wrote about previously in January/February 2021 (TWO BIG INVESTMENT CONCERNS RIGHT NOW: RISING BOND RATES AND RISING INFLATION | BRIGHTER DAYS LIFE COACHING® and STORM CLOUDS ON THE HORIZON: THE BOND MARKETS AND THE “LOW-RISK SAFE HAVEN” FACADE | BRIGHTER DAYS LIFE COACHING®). TLT and other longer-term bonds and bond funds/ETFs have dropped 46% since I wrote these posts nearly 3 years ago which is very unusual for the bond market when considering its longer term history as a low-risk, safe haven investment – these losses are more typical of a stock market decline than a bond market decline. Due to this outsized drop and other factors, longer-term bonds and bond funds/ETFs have now become very attractive in my opinion, and I will probably be looking to add to my position on any future weakness.

 

I am presently about 21% invested in stocks/ETFs (including a 2% hedge against a stock market drop via UVXY and TLT) and own shares of TLT, UVXY, ASPN, GNK, COIN, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

19 Oct 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a little over half of my shares of UVXY for a 19% gain. The UVXY essentially serves as a hedge against a stock market drop. I am presently about 19% invested in stocks (including the remaining 1% hedge via UVXY) and own shares of UVXY, ASPN, GNK, COIN, VMEO, and ACCO. Most of my portfolio is now invested in fixed income which fits much better with my low-risk investor profile. My portfolio has gained 43% this year so far and has greatly outperformed each of the major stock indexes. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

26 July 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my shares of GH, TWLO, and UPWK. I didn’t get much of a gain on these but started realizing I can buy 5-year CDs at 4.5% interest so I’m going to start winding down all of my stock market positions and do that for a while. I am presently about 22% invested (including a 1% hedge against a stock market drop via UVXY) and own shares of UVXY, ASPN, GNK, COIN, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

18 July 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my shares of SCHW for a 25% gain. I am presently about 30% invested (including a 1% hedge against a stock market drop via UVXY) and own shares of UVXY, UPWK, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

13 July 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did quite a bit of selling. My portfolio is sitting on a 47% gain for the year so far so it’s time to trim more risk from the portfolio. I sold a few shares of COIN for a 34% gain, all my shares of COMM for a 19% gain, a few shares of UPWK which jumped 18% since I last sold it, a few shares of GH which jumped 21% since I last sold it, and a few shares of TWLO which rose 6% since I last sold it. I am presently about 33% invested (including a 1% hedge against a stock market drop via UVXY) and own shares of UVXY, SCHW, UPWK, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

 

3 July 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did quite a bit of selling. My portfolio is sitting on a 40% gain for the year so far so it’s time to trim more risk from the portfolio. I sold a few shares of COIN for a 14% gain, a few shares of UPWK for an 11% gain, all of my shares of RKLB for a 13% gain, and all of my shares of IHRT for a 10% gain. I am presently about 39% invested (including a 1% hedge against a stock market drop via UVXY) and own shares of UVXY, COMM, SCHW, UPWK, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

28 June 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of COMM for a 24% gain. I am presently about 44% invested and own shares of UVXY, IHRT, COMM, SCHW, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

27 June 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of COIN for a 30% gain. I also bought a few shares of UVXY which tends to move in the opposite direction of the overall stock market. I am presently about 45% invested and own shares of UVXY, IHRT, COMM, SCHW, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

15 June 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few more shares of ASPN for a 28% gain. I am presently about 45% invested and own shares of IHRT, COMM, SCHW, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

13 June 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few more shares of RKLB for a 25% gain. I am presently about 46% invested and own shares of IHRT, COMM, SCHW, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

9 June 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my shares of MTCH for a 20% gain and a few more shares of VMEO for a 22% gain and a few more shares of GH for a 22% gain. VMEO and GH still have room to run but the upside in MTCH appears to be limited. So, I decided to sell to trim some risk from my portfolio. I am presently about 47% invested and own shares of IHRT, COMM, SCHW, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

7 June 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few more shares of IHRT for a 25% gain. This stock still has room to run – I’m just trimming some risk from my portfolio. I am presently about 52% invested and own shares of IHRT, MTCH, COMM, SCHW, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

6 June 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of RKLB for a 26% gain. This stock still has room to run – I’m just trimming some risk from my portfolio. I am presently about 53% invested and own shares of IHRT, MTCH, COMM, SCHW, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

2 June 2023:

 

Today, I had a pretty good day in the stock market, and decided to do some selling. My portfolio is presently sitting on a 33% gain so far this year so it’s probably a good time to sell.

 

I sold a few shares of IHRT for a 25% gain and sold a few shares of VMEO for a 28% gain. These stocks still have room to run – I’m just trimming some risk from my portfolio. I am presently about 55% invested and own shares of IHRT, MTCH, COMM, SCHW, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

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. So, use this period of social distancing to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for 2022 (and beyond!).

 

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

 

 

17 May 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of GH for a 27% gain. I am presently about 59% invested and own shares of IHRT, MTCH, COMM, SCHW, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

12 May 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought more shares of IHRT which has dropped 20% since I last bought it. I am presently about 59% invested and own shares of IHRT, MTCH, COMM, SCHW, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

11 May 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of  my shares of APP for a 30% gain. I am presently about 58% invested and own shares of IHRT, MTCH, COMM, SCHW, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

10 May 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of  my shares of RARE (which gained 32% since I bought it). This stock still has room to run though – I’m just trimming risk from my portfolio.

 

Lately, I have been targeting stocks which have a strong potential for at least a 25% gain within a year or less. Sometimes, it works out and sometimes it doesn’t and I accept less due to deteriorating data/news surrounding certain stocks. But I always try to get at least a 25% gain and am very pleased when I can get a little more as I did in this case regarding RARE.

 

 

5 May 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of  my shares of BILL (which gained 36% since I bought it) and SVXY (which gained 42% since I bought it).  I am presently about 63% invested and own shares of IHRT, MTCH, COMM, RARE, SCHW, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

4 May 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of ASPN (which gained 32% for the lot of shares I sold) and bought a few more shares of GNK (which fell 13% since I last bought it). Earlier this week I bought more VMEO, IHRT, and UPWK. I am presently about 67% invested and own shares of IHRT, MTCH, COMM, BILL, RARE, SCHW, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

28 Apr 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of IHRT which looks attractively price right about now. I am presently about 63% invested and own shares of IHRT, MTCH, COMM, BILL, RARE, SCHW, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

26 Apr 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought more shares of COIN (which dropped 33% since I last sold it) and bought more shares of ACCO (which fell about 26% since I last bought it). I am presently about 60% invested and own shares of MTCH, COMM, BILL, RARE, SCHW, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

25 Apr 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought more shares of TWLO (which dropped 33% since I last sold it) and bought more shares of UPWK (which fell about 11% since I last bought it). I am presently about 60% invested and own shares of MTCH, COMM, BILL, RARE, SCHW, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

21 Apr 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my shares of S (which gained 16% since I bought it). In recent weeks I was only expecting to get about a 10% gain – so I was happy to get a little more than that. It doesn’t look nearly as attractive at these levels as it did when I first bought it. So, I decided to sell. I am presently about 58% invested and own shares of MTCH, COMM, BILL, RARE, SCHW, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

20 Apr 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of MTCH which looks very attractive at this price. I also bought a few more shares of COMM (which had fallen 17% since I last bought it) and ASPN (which had fallen 14% since I last bought it). I am presently about 60% invested and own shares of MTCH, COMM, BILL, RARE, SCHW, S, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

13 Apr 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of COMM which looks very attractive at this price. Last week (on 5 April) I bought more shares of ASPN (which had fallen 14% since I last bought it).  I am presently about 56% invested and own shares of COMM, BILL, RARE, SCHW, S, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

31 Mar 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of APP (the lot of shares which gained 28% since I last bought them). On Tuesday (28 March), I bought a few more shares of GH which dropped 24% since I last bought it. I am presently about 53% invested and own shares of BILL, RARE, SCHW, S, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

24 Mar 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of BILL which looks attractively priced right now. I am presently about 53% invested and own shares of BILL, RARE, SCHW, S, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

23 Mar 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of RARE which has fallen 22% since I last sold it. It looks attractively priced right now.

 

I am presently about 52% invested and own shares of RARE, SCHW, S, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

20 Mar 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my shares of FRC. This stock just seems very determined to go down so I decided to exit the position. It was one of the worst calls I have made in a while (I lost 55% on it over just a few days). Time to move on.

 

I am presently about 49% invested and own shares of SCHW, S, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

17 Mar 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought more shares of FRC (which dropped 33% since I last bought it) and more shares of GNK (which dropped 24% since I last sold it). I am presently about 50% invested and own shares of FRC, SCHW, S, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

14 Mar 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my shares of MNTV which jumped 20% on a buyout. The upside looks limited from here so I decided to go ahead and sell. I am presently about 48% invested and own shares of FRC, SCHW, S, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

13 Mar 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of FRC and SCHW which are a couple of finance stocks that have got hammered lately and are due for a short term pop or longer term gains. So, it looked like a good time to start buying int them. I am presently about 50% invested and own shares of FRC, SCHW, S, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

10 Mar 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few more shares of UPWK (which dropped 14% since I last bought it), APP (which dropped 24% since I last bought it), and ASPN (which dropped 24% since I last bought it). I am presently about 48% invested and own shares of S, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

9 Mar 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few more shares of GH (which dropped 16% since I last sold it) and bought a few more shares of RKLB (which dropped 14% since I last bought it). I am presently about 45% invested and own shares of S, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

3 Mar 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of GH (which gained 24% since I bought the lot of shares I sold). I presently own shares of S, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

23 Feb 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of GNK (which gained 27% since I bought the lot of shares I sold). I also bought a few shares of GH which dropped 24% since I last sold it.  I presently own shares of S, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

7 Feb 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of the rest of my shares of UBER for a 21% gain. With all of the selling I’ve been doing lately my portfolio has because much smaller and easier to manage. It’s been a year or so since things have finally settled down for me in this regard. So, I am really enjoying this. I presently own shares of S, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

2 Feb 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did a lot more selling. My portfolio is sitting on a 36% gain this year in just 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) and it makes sense to do more selling. I continue to be in the mode of “selling every gain.” So, every time my overall portfolio experiences additional gains, I will be actively looking for more to sell. I’m still about 50% invested so there’s quite a bit more selling that I can do.

 

I sold all of my shares of AAPL (which gained 20% since I bought it), all of my shares of DBRG (which gained 21% since I bought the lot of shares I sold), all of my shares of ONTF (which gained 17% since I last sold it), all of my shares of RARE (which gained 40% since I bought it), a few shares of APP (which jumped 30% since I bought the lot of shares I sold), a few shares of COIN (which jumped 33% since I last sold it), a few shares of MNTV (for a marginal gain – these shares don’t look nearly as attractive as they did when I first bought them), a few shares of S (which jumped 17% since I bought the lot of shares I sold), a few shares of TWLO (for a marginal gain – these shares don’t look nearly as attractive as they did when I first bought them), and a few shares of UPWK (which jumped 35% since I bought the lot of shares I sold).

 

I presently own shares of S, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, UBER, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

1 Feb 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did some more selling. My portfolio is sitting on a 28% gain this year in only 4 weeks! That’s about a 4-year gain in 4 weeks time! So, it makes sense to do some more selling. In fact, 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 will be actively looking for more to sell. I’m still about 69% invested so there’s a lot more selling I can do.

 

I sold a few shares of UBER (which jumped 28% since I bought the lot of shares I sold) and I sold all of my shares of IAC for a 29% gain. I presently own shares of AAPL, DBRG, S, RARE, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, UBER, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, ONTF, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

31 Jan 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of DBRG (which jumped 30% since I bought the lot of shares I sold). This stock still has some room to run but I wanted to trim some risk from my portfolio.

 

I presently own shares of AAPL, DBRG, S, RARE IAC, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, UBER, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, ONTF, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

27 Jan 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did some more selling. My portfolio is sitting on a 24% gain this year in only 4 weeks! That’s nearly a 3.5 year gain in 4 weeks time! So, it makes sense to do some more selling.

 

I sold a few shares of COIN (which has jumped 45% since I bought the lot of shares I sold), a few shares of GNK (which has jumped 31% since I bought the lot of shares I sold), and a few shares of APP (which has jumped 28% since I bought the lot of shares I sold). These stocks still have some room to run but I wanted to trim more risk from my portfolio.

 

I presently own shares of AAPL, DBRG, S, RARE IAC, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, UBER, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, ONTF, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

 

26 Jan 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did some more selling. I sold all of my remaining shares of WBD (which jumped 25% since I bought the lot of shares I sold), a few shares of VMEO (which has jumped 27% since I bought the lot of shares I sold), and a few shares of SVXY (which has jumped 36% since I bought the lot of shares I sold). These stocks still have room to run but I wanted to trim more risk from my portfolio.

 

I presently own shares of AAPL, DBRG, S, RARE IAC, APP, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, UBER, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, ONTF, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

23 Jan 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did some more selling. My portfolio is sitting on a 20% gain this year in only 3 weeks! That’s nearly a 3 year gain in 3 weeks time! So, it makes sense to start looking at what to sell.

 

I sold a few shares WBD (which has jumped 35% since I bought the lot of shares I sold), VMEO (which has jumped 35% since I bought the lot of shares I sold), and GH (which has jumped 32% since I bought the lot of shares I sold). These stocks still have room to run but I wanted to start trimming some risk from my portfolio.

 

Another thing I did today was sell all of my shares of MDB for about a 42% gain. The upside looks a little limited from here so I decided to go ahead and sell. I presently own shares of AAPL, DBRG, S, RARE IAC, APP, WBD, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, UBER, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, ONTF, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

17 Jan 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did some selling. My portfolio is sitting on a 16% gain this year in only 2 weeks! That’s about a little over a two year gain in two weeks time! So, it makes sense to start looking hard at what to start selling.

 

I sold a few shares COIN (which has jumped 44% since I bought the lot of shares I sold) and RKLB (which has jumped 37% since I bought the lot of shares I sold).

 

I’m trying not to sell too many shares of COIN right now because I am waiting on the MOTHER-OF-ALL-SHORT-SQUEEZES to happen. COIN is heavily shorted right now (26% of the float was shorted the last time I checked) but it has survived the Crypto-pocalypse so far and will probably come out of it okay. So, it’s very possible for COIN to jump 80% or something in a single day just on a short squeeze alone as the short-selling yahoos run for the hills. So, I’m patiently waiting for something like that to happen. Maybe it will and maybe it won’t. But I’m holding out for that for now.

Each of the above stocks still have room to run but I wanted to start trimming some risk from my portfolio. I presently own shares of AAPL, DBRG, S, RARE, MDB, IAC, APP, WBD, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, UBER, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, ONTF, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

12 Jan 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did some selling. I sold a few shares COIN (which jumped 46% since I last bought it), WBD (which jumped 46% since I last bought it), and RKLB (which jumped 35% since I last bought it). Each of these stocks still have room to run but I wanted to start trimming some risk from my portfolio. I presently own shares of AAPL, DBRG, S, RARE, MDB, IAC, APP, WBD, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, UBER, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, ONTF, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

 

3 Jan 2023:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of AAPL which looks attractively priced at this level. I presently own shares of AAPL, DBRG, S, RARE, MDB, IAC, APP, WBD, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, UBER, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, ONTF, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2023 brings.

 

 

30 DECEMBER 2022:

 

FINAL SCORE =>>> JOE: -23.6%  SPX: -19.4%

 

I had a pretty lousy year in the stock market this year. 2022 was my first down year in 11 years! But sometimes that will happen as an investor. The low point for me this year was when I was 142% invested (yes – I was using margin) and down 41.19% for 2022. Presently, I am 96% invested and down 23.6% for the year. So, things improved some as the year progressed.

 

I’ve done pretty well overall from year-to-year though. Over the past 11 years my average annual gain is 33% (including the losses from this year). So, that’s not too bad. This is about a 4.7 year gain on average for every year over the past 11 years.

 

I improved my investment strategies this year and was able to successfully recover from the late October-early December slump from 2021 (you can read more about that here: https://www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com/how-to-maximize-investment-returns-even-when-experiencing-severe-losses/). And you can read about some of the other changes I made to my investment strategies here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/how-to-lose-your-shirt-in-the-stock-market-without-losing-your-shorts-too-part-three/)

 

Had I continued using my previous investment strategies, I would be probably be down 70% for the year. So, I’m very thankful that I modified my investment strategies this year. As a point of reference, Kathy Wood’s ARKK stock gained 150% back in 2020 (nearly as much as I did), lost 23% back in 2021 when I had earned an 8.7% gain, and lost 69% this year when I had lost 23.6%. So, I feel pretty good about ending the year with not too bad of a loss.

 

I fell behind some of the major market indexes this year such as the S&P 500 index (-19.4%) and the Russell 2000 index (-21.6%), but pulled ahead of the Nasdaq index (-33.1%). Even the safe haven bond market lost 13.1% and the standard 60/40 portfolio lost 16.9%.  So, overall, it was difficult for anybody to walk away with gains in 2022. I’m just happy things didn’t end up worse. And I’m glad 2022 is over as far as the stock market is concerned. We’ll see what 2023 brings.

 

 

30 Dec 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my shares of BHG and some of my shares of ONTF. I sold them to offset my gains so that I wouldn’t have to pay bought about $3423 in taxes in 2023 (this is the tax-loss harvesting strategy I told you about previously). To generate a $3423 gain, BHG would have had to go up by 71%. So, that was a good stock to pick for executing this tax loss harvesting strategy. The shares of ONTF I sold would have only had to gain about 20% to generate the remainder of the tax benefit I was seeking but it seemed like an opportune time to sell those shares as well. I presently own shares of DBRG, S, RARE, MDB, IAC, APP, WBD, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, UBER, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, ONTF, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

9 Dec 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of DBRG. I presently own shares of DBRG, S, RARE, MDB, IAC, APP, WBD, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, UBER, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

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. So, use this period of social distancing to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for 2022 (and beyond!).

 

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

 

 

22 Nov 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my shares of ASUR (which has jumped 33% since I last bought it – 18% in just the last four days!). I’ve been looking to sell these shares for a while now and am glad that I waited for the shares to jump before selling. I mistakenly bought ASUR several months ago – I didn’t realize it was a low volume stock when I first started buying it and have been looking to sell it ever since. It’s hard to get out of low volume stocks because the price can be very volatile and can even affected by your own buy and sell actions. So, I’m happy to be done with that.

 

I presently own shares of S, RARE, MDB, IAC, APP, WBD, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, UBER, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

21 Nov 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of S and a few more shares of APP. I’m still employing the most recent strategy I told you about in which – instead of continuing to buy stocks I own which drop substantially – I try to find new stocks which appear to be just as attractive and buy those instead (that’s why I bought shares of S instead of COIN today). That allows me to take losses when sensible to do so on the losing stocks without invoking the wash sale rule plus it doesn’t allow certain stocks to dominate the performance of my portfolio as they have in the past. This seems to be working pretty well so far but the downside is that you have to manage and track a lot more stocks. I miss the days of only having 5 or 6 stocks to manage and track.

 

I presently own shares of S, RARE, MDB, IAC, APP, WBD, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, UBER, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

11 Nov 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, my portfolio jumped another 6 percentage points in a single day and has not only jumped ahead of all of the major market indexes for the first time this year but has blasted past them! I’m still negative for the year – so, it’s nothing really worth celebrating.

 

I did quite a bit of selling today. I sold all of my remaining shares of MGNI (which jumped 100% in two days which is like an 14-year gain on average in only two days!). I also sold all of my shares of TROX and VTRS which presently don’t look nearly as attractive as they did when I first bought them. I also sold a few shares of EXAS (which jumped 28% since I last bought it) and APP (which jumped 24% since I last bought it).

 

As of today, I am 87% invested and am sitting on a loss of 10.1%. This feels almost like victory compared to the low point earlier this year when I was 142% invested (yes – I was using margin) and down 41.19% for 2022 (and down 44% since September/October 2021). I’m doing much better this year than most of the other major market indexes such as the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (-16.2%), the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (-27.6%), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (-16.1%). It has been one heck of a gut-wrenching fight this year but I am still hanging in there and continue modifying my strategies.

 

I’m still employing the most recent strategy I told you about in which – instead of continuing to buy stocks I own which drop substantially – I try to find new stocks which appear to be just as attractive and buy those instead. That allows me to take losses when sensible to do so on the losing stocks without invoking the wash sale rule plus it doesn’t allow certain stocks to dominate the performance of my portfolio as they have in the past. This seems to be working pretty well so far but the downside is that you have to manage and track a lot more stocks. I miss the days of only having 5 or 6 stocks to manage and track.

 

I presently own shares of RARE, MDB, IAC, APP, WBD, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, GNK, UBER, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

10 Nov 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, my portfolio jumped 13 percentage points in a single day and has jumped ahead of all of the major market indexes! So, I did some selling! I sold several shares of MGNI (which jumped 65% today!). I sold all of my shares of HASI (which jumped 40% since I last bought it). I also sold a few shares of VMEO (which jumped 28% since I last bought it), GNK (which jumped 26% since I last bought it), and ASPN (which jumped 24% since I last bought it). I presently own shares of RARE, MDB, IAC, APP, WBD, TROX, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, EXAS, GNK, UBER, VTRS, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

9 Nov 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of RARE and bought some more shares of RKLB, MGNI, and APP. I presently own shares of RARE, MDB, IAC, HASI, APP, WBD, TROX, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, EXAS, GNK, UBER, VTRS, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

8 Nov 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of VTRS (which gained 30% since the last time I  bought it) and EXAS (which gained 26% since the last time I bought it). I presently own shares of MDB, IAC, HASI, APP, WBD, TROX, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, EXAS, GNK, UBER, VTRS, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

4 Nov 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of MDB and IAC. I presently own shares of MDB, IAC, HASI, APP, WBD, TROX, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, EXAS, GNK, UBER, VTRS, MNTV,TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

28 Oct 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold several shares of RKLB (which jumped 30% since I last bought it) and sold a few shares of ASPN (which jumped 27% since I last bought it). I presently own shares of HASI, APP, WBD, TROX, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, EXAS, GNK, UBER, VTRS, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

13 Oct 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of HASI which looks attractively priced and pays a good dividend. I presently own shares of HASI, APP, WBD, TROX, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, EXAS, GNK, UBER, VTRS, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

11 Oct 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of APP and a few more shares of UBER. I sold my shares of TBT a couple of weeks ago after getting about a 25% gain. I’m still employing the new strategy I told you about recently in which instead of continuing to buy stocks I own which drop substantially, I try to find new stocks which appear to be just as attractive and buy those instead. That allows me to take losses when sensible to do so on the losing stocks without invoking the wash sale rule plus it doesn’t allow certain stocks to dominate the performance of my portfolio as they have in the past. We’ll see how this new strategy plays out. This is the  reason I bought APP today instead of a different current stock that I own I was contemplating buying today.

 

I presently own shares of APP, WBD, TROX, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, EXAS, GNK, UBER, VTRS, MNTV, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

22 Sep 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of WBD and a few more shares of ASPN and RKLB. I had planned to buy WBD several weeks ago but it rose too high. Fortunately, it has fallen back down to very attractive levels. I presently own shares of WBD, TROX, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, EXAS, GNK, UBER, VTRS, MNTV, TBT, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

20 Sep 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of TROX (which pays a good dividend) and UPWK. These stocks look attractively priced at these levels. I’m also employing a new strategy. I used to keep buying stocks I own which drop substantially (and still do at times) but now I try to find new stocks which appear to be just as attractive and buy those instead. That allows me to take losses when sensible to do so on the losing stocks without invoking the wash sale rule plus it doesn’t allow certain stocks to dominate the performance of my portfolio as they have in the past. We’ll see how this new strategy plays out. I presently own shares of TROX, UPWK, RKLB, ASPN, EXAS, GNK, UBER, VTRS, MNTV, TBT, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

9 Sep 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of GH (which gained 17% since the last time I bought it). I presently own shares of RKLB, ASPN, EXAS, GNK, UBER, VTRS, MNTV, TBT, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

2 Sep 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of RKLB and more shares of MGNI (which dropped about 20% since I last bought it). Yesterday, I bought more shares of ACCO (which dropped about 12% since I last bought it) and TWLO (which dropped about 11% since I last bought it).  I presently own shares of RKLB, ASPN, EXAS, GNK, UBER, VTRS, MNTV, TBT, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

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. So, use this period of social distancing to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for 2022 (and beyond!).

 

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

 

 

16 Aug 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my remaining shares of SNAP which have gained 32% since late July. The upside potential looks somewhat limited from here so I decided to go ahead and sell. I presently own shares of VTRS, MNTV, TBT, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

5 Aug 2022:

 

I’ve done so well over the past few weeks (a 51% gain from my low back in April/May) that I decided to do a whole lot of selling today just to cash in on those gains. I sold all of my shares of stocks which have substantial gains or which appear to have limited upside. I sold all of my shares of ASPN (47% gain), UBER (50% gain), VRNS (19% gain), ROKU (limited upside), and PAYO (33% gain). I also bought shares of VTRS which looks attractively priced right now and pays a hefty dividend.

 

I presently own shares of VTRS, MNTV, TBT, SNAP, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

4 Aug 2022:

 

For the first time all year, I have finally moved ahead of the S&P 500 Index. I’ve been beating the NASDAQ and the Russell 2000 off and on all year but finally, today, I moved ahead of the S&P 500 Index as well. I’m presently sitting on a 11.3% loss (the S&P 500 is sitting at a 12.9% loss). It’s not a good year just yet but a 11.3% loss is much better than the 41.2% loss I had back in April/May.

 

 

So, I’m at least moving in the right direction and this move represents a 51% gain over only a few months (a 51% gain is about a 6-year gain on average). And once the major market indexes recover a bit more I might even be able to squeak out a gain for the year. Who knows?

 

 

So, today, in the stock market, I did quite a bit of selling. I sold a few shares of COIN (which jumped 45% since I last bought it), TWLO (which jumped 17% since I bought it a little over 2 weeks ago), ROKU (which has gained 30% since Monday), and I sold all of my remaining shares of SGFY which appears to have limited upside from here.

 

 

I also bought a few shares of MNTV and TBT. I presently own shares of MNTV, TBT, VRNS, ASPN, SNAP, UBER, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, ROKU, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, PAYO, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

2 Aug 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, my portfolio jumped 6 percentage points! I sold a few shares of ASPN which has gained 47% since I bought it a little over a week ago. I also sold a few shares of UBER which has gained 38% since I bought it a month ago. These stocks still have room to run but I wanted to go ahead and trim some risk from my portfolio. I presently own shares of VRNS, ASPN, SNAP, UBER, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, ROKU, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, PAYO, SGFY, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

29 July 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, my portfolio jumped 6 percentage points! I sold a few shares of ASPN which has gained 47% since I bought it a little over a week ago. I also sold a few shares of UBER which has gained 38% since I bought it a month ago. These stocks still have room to run but I wanted to go ahead and trim some risk from my portfolio. I presently own shares of VRNS, ASPN, SNAP, UBER, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, ROKU, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, PAYO, SGFY, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

29 July 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold my remaining shares of COMM and used the cash I raised from selling those shares to buy shares of VRNS which looks much more attractive. It’s a good idea, from time-to-time, to rotate out of stocks which become less attractive and into those which become more attractive in nature. So, that’s what I did today. I presently own shares of VRNS, ASPN, SNAP, UBER, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, ROKU, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, PAYO, SGFY, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

28 July 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of COMM which doesn’t look nearly as attractive as it did when I first bought it. I presently own shares of ASPN, SNAP, UBER, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, ROKU, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, COMM, PAYO, SGFY, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

22 July 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of ASPN. I presently own shares of ASPN, SNAP, UBER, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, ROKU, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, COMM, PAYO, SGFY, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

20 July 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, my portfolio jumped over 6% in a single day (11% over the past two days!)! So, I decided to do some selling. I sold a few shares of PAYO (which jumped about 15% since I bought that lot of shares) and COMM (which jumped about 16% since I bought that lot of shares). Each of these stocks still have room to run but I wanted to go ahead and take the opportunity to trim some risk from my portfolio.

 

I presently own shares of SNAP, UBER, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, ROKU, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, COMM, PAYO, SGFY, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

1 Jul 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought sold all of my shares of AMWL, SLQT, and PAYA and bought shares of SNAP, UBER, and TWLO. The new strategy I am employing involves rotating out of the stocks which appear to be less favorable in nature and buying into new stocks which appear to be highly favorable in nature – even when the stocks I’m selling are carrying heavy losses. Now, many people might question such a move and be inclined to just hold the stocks long enough for a gain to be realized. However, the tax loss harvesting strategy I wrote about previously and the fact that I would stand to have an effective “gain” of about 24% based on my current tax bracket by selling these more unfavorable stocks (even if no further gains were realized in my portfolio) combined with the potential for much stronger gains by switching to much more favorable stocks, then the potential gains from here might be pretty substantial. You can read all about this new strategy here.

 

I presently own shares of SNAP, UBER, TWLO, COIN, ASUR, GH, ROKU, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, COMM, PAYO, SGFY, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

30 Jun 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of VMEO, MGNI, and COMM which have all dropped substantially since I last bought or sold them. I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

24 Jun 2022:

 

Today, I sold some shares of BHG (which jumped 21% since I last bought it). I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

23 Jun 2022:

 

Today, my portfolio jumped 6.4% in a single day. So, I decided to do some selling. I sold some shares of AMWL (which jumped 15% today and has gained 50% since the low experienced just a few short weeks ago) and PAYA (which gained about 16% since I last bought it and has gained 33% since the low experienced just a few short weeks ago).

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

27 May 2022:

 

Today, my portfolio jumped about 6% in a single day (and 11% since Tuesday), So, I decided to do quite a bit of selling. I sold some shares of ROKU (which jumped 21% since Tuesday when I bought additional shares), ONTF (which gained about 12% since I last bought it), VMEO (which gained about 10% since I last bought it), MGNI (which jumped about 10% since I last bought it), and AMWL (which jumped about 10% since I last bought it). I also recently sold a few shares of PAYO and PAYA (which each gained about 15% since I had last bought them). Many of these stocks still have room to run but I wanted to go ahead and take the opportunity to trim some risk from my portfolio.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

13 May 2022:

 

Friday the 13th is not so bad after all. I always tell people it’s probably better to be in the stock market (even in a falling market) because you never know when things might change. Because when it turns… it turns. And you might miss out on a huge move.

 

Well, today, my portfolio jumped 13% in a single day (a record for me)! So, I decided to do quite a bit of selling. I sold some shares of PAYO (which jumped 33% today!), MGNI (which jumped about 25% since I last bought it), SGFY (which jumped about 26% since I last bought it), AMWL (which jumped about 20% since I last bought it), GH (which jumped about 18% since I last bought it), COMM (which jumped about 10% since I last bought it), ONTF (which went up about 7% since I last bought it but only looks somewhat attractive as a stock right now), SLQT (which went up about 5% since I last bought it but no longer looks very attractive as a stock), and ROKU (which jumped about 25% since I last bought it). Most of these stocks still have room to run but I wanted to go ahead and take the opportunity to trim some risk from my portfolio.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

4 May 2022:

 

Today, my portfolio jumped over 6% in a single day! So, I decided to do some selling. I sold a few shares of BHG (which jumped 37% today!), AMWL, and ROKU. These stocks still have room to run but I wanted to go ahead and take the opportunity to trim some risk from my portfolio.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

18 Apr 2022:

Today, in the stock market, I sold the rest of my shares of TBT which gained nearly 40% since I bought into it so I decided to go ahead and sell to realize that gain. I also bought more shares of SLQT.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, and ACCO. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

4 Apr 2022:

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few more shares of GH. This stock still has room to run but I wanted to go ahead and take the opportunity to trim some risk from my portfolio.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

29 Mar 2022:

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of PAYO, SVXY, ROKU, AMWL, and sold the rest of my shares of ET. Most of these stocks still have room to run but I wanted to go ahead and take the opportunity to trim some risk from my portfolio.

 

The reason I’ve been doing so much selling lately is because I’m trying to use rallies as opportunities to get back down to my lower risk profile. All this year and part of last year I’ve been investing as a high risk investor though not really by preference.

 

Two weeks ago, I was 140% invested and down 30.34% for 2022 (and down 34% since September/October 2021). As of today, I am only down 5.06% for the year and am 79% invested. So, that’s a huge, 25 percentage point gain in only two weeks. So, I’m very happy about this relatively speaking. It feels like victory even if it’s truly not in terms of me not earning any positive returns so far in 2022. It was one heck of a fight, though. You can read all about how I did that here: https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/category/financial-planning-management-and-investing-related-posts/

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

28 Mar 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of ET (which has gained 28% since I last bought it) and also a few shares of COIN (which has gained 17% since I last bought it). These stocks still have room to run but I wanted to go ahead and take the opportunity to trim some risk from my portfolio.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

22 Mar 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold about half of my shares of TBT (which has gained 28% since I last bought it). TBT essentially positions for higher interest rates – so, TBT rises as longer term interest rates rise. It still has room to run but I wanted to go ahead and take the opportunity to trim some risk from my portfolio. The shares I sold today I’ve owned for over a year now which means I will only pay 15% in capital gains taxes instead of 24% which is my current tax bracket.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

18 Mar 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my remaining shares of CHGG which doesn’t look as favorable now as it did when I first started buying it. I also sold a few shares of GH (which jumped about 12% since I bought that lot of shares), COMM (which jumped about 14% since I bought that lot of shares), ROKU (which jumped about 12% since I bought that lot of shares), and AMWL (which jumped about 11% since I bought that lot of shares). Each of these stocks still have room to run (with the possible exception of CHGG) but I wanted to go ahead and take the opportunity to trim some risk from my portfolio.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

17 Mar 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few more shares of SLQT (which has jumped 40% over the past three days), COIN (which jumped about 15% since I last bought it), MGNI (which jumped about 11% since I bought that lot of shares), VMEO (which jumped about 14% since I bought that lot of shares), CHGG (which jumped about 13% since I bought that lot of shares), PAYA (which jumped about 17% since I bought that lot of shares), GH (which jumped about 14% since I bought that lot of shares), and BHG (which jumped about 16% since I bought that lot of shares). Each of these stocks still have room to run but I wanted to go ahead and take the opportunity to trim some risk from my portfolio.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

16 Mar 2022:

 

Wow! Today, in the stock market, my portfolio jumped almost 8% in a single day! I’m still negative for 2022 but much less negative than I was on Monday.

 

Today, I sold a few shares of SLQT (which jumped about 30% over the past two days), COMM (which jumped about 16% since I last bought it), MGNI (which jumped about 16% since I last bought it), ROKU (which jumped about 14% since I last bought it), and AMWL (which jumped about 17% since I last bought it).   I also sold a few more shares of SGFY which has jumped another 6% today after the big recent gains I sold previously. Each of these stocks still have room to run but I wanted to go ahead and take the opportunity to trim some risk from my portfolio.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

9 Mar 2022:

 

Wow! Today, in the stock market, my portfolio jumped 6.25% in a single day! I’m still negative for 2022 but much less negative than I was yesterday.

 

Today, I sold a few shares of BHG which jumped 32% during the day. I also sold a few more shares of SGFY which has jumped another 13% after the big gain yesterday. Both of these stocks still have room to run but I wanted to go ahead and take the opportunity to trim some risk from my portfolio.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

8 Mar 2022:

 

Today, I sold a few shares of SGFY which has jumped about 23% since I last bought it. SGFY still has a lot of room to run but I wanted to go ahead and take the opportunity to trim some risk from my portfolio.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

25 Feb 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few more shares of MGNI and also sold some shares of ROKU.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

 

24 Feb 2022:

 

Wow! Today, in the stock market, my portfolio jumped 6.5% in a single day! I’m still negative for 2022 but much less negative than I was yesterday.

 

Today, I sold a few shares of MGNI which has jumped about 20% since I last bought it. MGNI still has a lot of room to run but I wanted to go ahead and take the opportunity to trim some risk from my portfolio.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

25 Feb 2022:

 

Today, in the atock market, I sold a few more shares of MGNI and also sold some shares of ROKU.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

24 Feb 2022:

 

Wow! Today, in the stock market, my portfolio jumped 6.5% in a single day! I’m still negative for 2022 but much less negative than I was yesterday.

 

Today, I sold a few shares of MGNI which has jumped about 20% since I last bought it. MGNI still has a lot of room to run but I wanted to go ahead and take the opportunity to trim some risk from my portfolio.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

15 Feb 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my remaining shares of ZG which has jumped about 35% since Friday’s low. The upside from these levels look somewhat limited so I decided to go ahead and sell. I also went ahead and bought more shares of SLQT which has dropped about 60% since its earnings report 8 Feb. The selloff looks a bit overdone so I decided to start buying again.

 

BHG jumped about 20% today (after crashing 23% yesterday) which is pretty strange so I suppose I’m just going to wait and see what happens before deciding whether or not to sell anymore shares.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

14 Feb 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of ZG which had gained about 17% since I last bought it to trim some risk from my portfolio.

 

On a not so good note, BHG crashed 23% today for some reason so I’m glad I sold several of my shares on previous occasions. Fortunately, my entire portfolio dropped by a much smaller 1.7% today. So, I was able to absorb the loss. I plan to hold BHG a while to see if it might recover some but might take the loss later this year to offset some of my gains and reduce my tax burden.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ZG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

10 Feb 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of SGFY which gained about 18% since I last bought it and sold a few shares of ROKU which gained about 15% since I last bought it. I also sold a few more shares BHG which continued its gains today. I’m glad I sold these earlier in the day because they dropped dramatically towards the end of the day. Each of these stocks still have quite a lot of room to run but I wanted to take the opportunity to trim some more risk from my portfolio.

 

On a not so good note, VMEO crashed 19% today on a poor earnings report. Fortunately, my entire portfolio dropped by a much smaller 2.0% today. So, I was able to absorb the loss. I plan to hold VMEO a while to see if it might recover some but will probably take the loss later this year to offset some of my gains and reduce my tax burden.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ZG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

9 Feb 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of MGNI which gained about 16% since I last bought it. I also sold a few more shares CHGG and BHG which continued their gains today. Each of these stocks still have quite a lot of room to run but I wanted to take the opportunity to trim some more risk from my portfolio. I’m still negative for the year so far but not nearly as negative as I was. So, things are at least moving in the right direction.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ZG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

8 Feb 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold a few shares of CHGG and BHG which gained about 23% since I last bought them. They each still have quite a lot of room to run but I wanted to take the opportunity to trim a little risk from my portfolio since these stocks were jumping today.

 

On a not so good note, SLQT crashed 47% today on a poor earnings report. Fortunately, my entire portfolio only dropped about 0.25% today. So, I was able to absorb the loss. Hopefully, I won’t experience many more drops like that. I plan to hold SLQT a while to see if it might recover some but will probably take the loss later this year to offset some of my gains and reduce my tax burden.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ZG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

1 Feb 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold BMY which has gained about 13% since I bought it. It doesn’t appear to have much upside from these levels so I decided to go ahead and sell.

 

I also sold just a few shares of PAYA, AMWL, GH, COIN, and BHG which each have jumped between 16% and 20% since I last bought them. These stocks still have a lot of room to run but I decided to do some selling to trim down the risk in my portfolio a bit. My portfolio jumped 8.3% yesterday (14% over three days – since Friday) so it’s probably a good idea to start trimming a little risk.

 

I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ZG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

27 Jan 2022:

 

 

Lately, I’ve been receiving questions about what I’m doing about all of the stock market volatility. Well, I am definitely not selling and, in fact, am doing the opposite. I continue buying into this market with every significant drop and will probably continue to do so. Because, when it turns… it turns. And you don’t want to be out of the stock market when that happens.

 

Happy investing everyone!

 

 

19 Jan 2022:

12 Jan 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold PAA which has jumped 20% since I bought it. I also bought more shares of ROKU. I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ZG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

5 Jan 2022:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold GPN and VTRS which each jumped 20% since I last bought them. I also bought more shares of AMWL, BHG, ROKU, and VMEO. I presently own shares of PAA, COIN, ASUR, GH, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ZG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2022 brings.

 

 

31 DECEMBER 2021:

 

FINAL SCORE =>>> JOE: +9%  INFLATION: +7%

 

I had a pretty good year in the stock market this year. Many of you probably recall that I had my record year back in 2020 (a 164% gain). So, my primary objective for 2021 was to be a low risk investor – maintaining my spending power by beating inflation or at least not giving back those stellar gains I had back in 2020. Headline inflation was 6.8% year-over-year back in November so I beat that number by a sizable margin (the December numbers have not yet been released).

 

I improved my investment strategies this year and was able to successfully recover from the late October-early December slump (you can read more about that here: https://www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com/how-to-maximize-investment-returns-even-when-experiencing-severe-losses/). Had I continued using my previous investment strategies, I would be deeply negative for the year. So, I’m very thankful that I modified my investment strategies for the year. As a point of reference, Kathy Wood’s ARKK stock gained 150% back in 2020 (nearly as much as I did) and lost 23% this year. So, I feel pretty good about ending the year with a decent, positive gain given my primary investment goal was to take a lower risk approach so as not to lose last year’s 164% gain.

 

Back in early October, I had a 13% gain which was an excellent gain for a low risk investor seeking to beat inflation (inflation was about 5% at that point in time). I suppose I should have quit while I was ahead. Because by early-to-mid December my gains had dropped to 1.5% for the year which was a pretty substantial drop – especially since it was only over a period of a few weeks. Fortunately, I was able to recover much of these losses by the end of the year with an 8.7% gain. Much of the losses were probably due to investors selling losing stocks for tax loss harvesting purposes. As such, many of the stocks I’m presently holding are likely to start rising again in the new year. So, I should be positioned pretty well for at least the early weeks or months of 2022.

 

I didn’t come close this year to the gains of the other major market indexes such as the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (+26.9%), the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (+21.4%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (+18.7%), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (+13.7%). However, as a low risk investor I wasn’t expecting to match those gains (or losses if the SPX had happened to fall). My primary objective was beating headline inflation which I was able to do. A secondary target I use as a low risk investor is the end-of-year gain of the S&P 500 (SPX) divided by 5. I beat on that metric as well (26.9%/5 = 5.4%). So, overall, this was a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what 2022 brings.

 

 

30 Dec 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold AGL which had jumped 27% since I last bought it. I was planning to wait to sell stocks with gains until after the 1st of the year because I thought I was in the 32% tax bracket. It turns out that I’m not because I forgot to subtract my standard deduction of $12,550. Since I’m several thousand dollars below the 32% income tax bracket threshold, I decided to take advantage of that new realization by selling some additional gains. That’s always a good thing to do from time to time.

 

I presently own shares of PAA, COIN, ASUR, GH, GPN, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ZG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, COMM, PAYO, VTRS, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

20 Dec 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought PAA and a few more shares of BHG and ASUR which have dropped quite a bit over the past several days or so. I presently own shares of PAA, COIN, ASUR, GH, GPN, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ZG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, AGL, COMM, PAYO, VTRS, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

13 Dec 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought COIN which has dropped quite a bit over the past several days or so. I presently own shares of COIN, ASUR, GH, GPN, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ZG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, AGL, COMM, PAYO, VTRS, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

3 Dec 2021:

 

I’ve had a real “knack” over the past couple of months for picking losing stocks. However, I refuse to let them go, and I continue buying into them, because the buy signals keep getting stronger and stronger with every drop, and they become more and more attractive, with respect to all of the indicators I use to make investment decisions. And I refuse to sell on “buy” signals and frequently do the opposite.

As a result of all the buying I’ve done (and continue to do), I have now officially moved from being a low risk investor to a higher risk investor. I’m not concerned because I like the patient approach I’ve been using. A couple of years ago, I would have been “all in” several weeks ago and be deeply negative for the year – so, I’m very thankful that I have modified my approaches quite a bit since then and am still positive for the year. It’s always good to modify your investing approaches over time.

 

It’ll be interesting to see how this little experiment ends. Frequently, losing stocks become leading stocks and stocks that continually get clobbered experience a very strong reversal. So, I plan to keep buying into them.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens. Once I see and reflect on the final results, I’ll consider whether to make additional adjustments to my investment strategies.

 

Happy Investing everyone!

 

 

22 Nov 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought ASUR and bought more shares of AMWL and CHGG. I presently own shares of ASUR, GH, GPN, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ZG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, AGL, COMM, PAYO, VTRS, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

19 Nov 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought GH and bought more shares of PAYA, MGNI, and ET. I presently own shares of GH, GPN, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ZG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, AGL, COMM, PAYO, VTRS, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

 

17 Nov 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought GPN and bought more shares of ROKU, BHG, and CHGG. I presently own shares of GPN, PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ZG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, AGL, COMM, PAYO, VTRS, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

8 Nov 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold GRWG which jumped 15% today! I had a 18%+ gain overall since buying it only two weeks ago so I decided to go ahead and sell to realize those gains. I presently own shares of PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ZG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, AGL, COMM, PAYO, VTRS, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

5 Nov 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did quite a bit of buying and quite a bit of selling. I bought PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, and VMEO (VMEO dropped 28% since I last sold it a few weeks ago). Each of these stocks look very attractive at these levels. I sold AZEK, CC, and VST which each had gains of about 16%. So, I decided to go ahead and sell to realize those gains.

 

I presently own shares of PAYA, ROKU, SLQT, VMEO, BHG, ZG, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, GRWG, AGL, COMM, PAYO, VTRS, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

4 Nov 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought BHG which looks very attractive at this level. I also bought more MGNI and COMM which all dropped quite a bit today. I presently own shares of BHG, ZG, CC, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, GRWG, AGL, COMM, PAYO, VTRS, AZEK, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

3 Nov 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought ZG which has dropped 35% since I last sold it last week. The stock looks very attractive at this level. I presently own shares of ZG, CC, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, GRWG, AGL, COMM, PAYO, VTRS, AZEK, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

2 Nov 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold AGFY which gained 20% since I bought it several days ago. I also bought a lot more CHGG which dropped 50% today on a poor earnings report. It became so oversold that I decided to buy more. Much more. We’ll see how things go.

 

I presently own shares of CC, ONTF, MGNI, CHGG, GRWG, AGL, COMM, PAYO, VTRS, AZEK, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

29 Oct 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought CC which looks attractive right now and pays a good dividend. I presently own shares of CC, ONTF, MGNI, AGFY, CHGG, GRWG, AGL, COMM, PAYO, VTRS, AZEK, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

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. So, use this period of social distancing to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for 2021 (and beyond!).

 

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

 

 

28 Oct 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought ONTF which looks attractive right now. I also sold ZG and GH which each gained about 18% since I bought them recently.

 

I presently own shares of ONTF, MGNI, AGFY, CHGG, GRWG, AGL, COMM, PAYO, VTRS, AZEK, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

27 Oct 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought MGNI and AGFY which each look attractive right now. These are more like speculative stocks. MGNI has fallen about 15% since I last sold it. So, I started buying it again. I presently own shares of MGNI, AGFY, CHGG, GRWG, AGL, COMM, PAYO, GH, ZG, VTRS, AZEK, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

26 Oct 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought CHGG, GRWG, AGL, and COMM which each look attractive right now. I presently own shares of CHGG, GRWG, AGL, COMM, PAYO, GH, ZG, VTRS, AZEK, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

22 Oct 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold XPO which has gained about 16% since I bought it a week and a half or so ago. I presently own shares of PAYO, GH, ZG, VTRS, AZEK, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

21 Oct 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought PAYO which looks pretty attractive right now. I presently own shares of PAYO, GH, ZG, VTRS, AZEK, XPO, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

18 Oct 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought GH and ZG. Both of these stocks look attractive right now and ZG has dropped about 30% since the last time I sold it a few months ago. I presently own shares of GH, ZG, VTRS, AZEK, XPO, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

14 Oct 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did quite a bit of selling. I sold COIN, VMEO, KGC, MPC, and VLO. I also bought VTRS which looks very attractive right now.

 

I sold COIN because it’s had a decent gain and is nearing it’s annual high. I sold KGC because – even though gold is an inflation hedge – it has gained about 20% in just a couple of weeks and is probably due for a pullback. I sold VMEO because it has gained 21% in only 3 days and it was just a speculative stock so I decided to cash out on the gain. I sold MPC and VLO because these stocks have gained almost 30% since I bought them (which equates to about 6-7 years of dividend payments) and the upside looks limited right now.

 

If the above stocks pull back some then I might go ahead and start buying them again. I presently own shares of VTRS, AZEK, XPO, AMWL, BMY, SGFY, ET, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

13 Oct 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought AZEK and XPO which both look very attractive right now. I presently own shares of AZEK, XPO, AMWL, BMY, VMEO, SGFY, ET, MPC, VLO, COIN, KGC, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

12 Oct 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of AMWL which is more of a speculative technical, growth stock. This stock has dropped 38% since I last sold it back in June. So, it looks very attractive right now and is due for a strong rebound. I presently own shares of AMWL, BMY, VMEO, SGFY, ET, MPC, VLO, COIN, KGC, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

11 Oct 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of BMY and VMEO.  VMEO is more of a speculative technical, growth stock and BMY is more of a good quality value stock which pays good dividends. Both of these stocks appear to be very attractive right now. I presently own shares of BMY, VMEO, SGFY, ET, MPC, VLO, COIN, KGC, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

1 Oct 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of SGFY which – although more of a speculative technical, growth stock – appears to be very attractive right now. I presently own shares of SGFY, ET, MPC, VLO, COIN, KGC, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

22 Aug 2021:

 

Wow! What a difference 2 months can make in the stock market! I left my laptop at home before taking my road trip and prior to leaving sold off a lot of the stocks I was holding – those which looked liked good opportunities to sell.

 

I’m so happy I sold those because had I held on to those I would have experienced the following losses:

AMWL: 28% loss
CLNE: 27.3% loss
PLUG: 22.7% loss
ZG: 18.2% loss
AHCO: 17.2% loss
MGNI: 16.1% loss
MAXR: 12.2% loss

 

The above is just another reason why I’m not much of a “buy and hold” investor (or very selectively so).

 

Of the above, the most promising “buy” opportunities right now appear to be: ZG, AHCO, PLUG, CLNE, and MAXR.

 

Other promising “buy” opportunities right now appear to be: ET and VLO which are both in the oil and gas industry and pay good dividends.

 

As for me, I’m awaiting a long overdue 5%-10% drop in the overall stock market before strongly committing funds towards new stock market opportunities. The S&P 500 generally experiences about three 5% pullbacks per year and one 10% correction per year on average. But neither has happened since last October. And the worst part of the investing season is approaching (September and October are frequently the worst months on average).

 

So, I’m content to wait things out since I’m an extremely low risk investor. However, some of you higher risk investors might want to go ahead and put some money to work.

 

Feel free to share this with anyone you know who might benefit from it…

 

 

20 Jul 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought ET, VLO, and MPC which all pay good dividends.

 

 

17 Jun 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought more shares of KGC and sold all of my remaining shares of AHCO which has jumped about 12% since early Jun. I presently own shares of COIN, KGC, VST, ACCO, and TBT. This is the portfolio I plan to stick with for the remainder of the year (if not longer). We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

 

 

16 Jun 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my remaining shares of AVLR which has jumped 10% over the past five days. I presently own shares of COIN, KGC, AHCO, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

14 Jun 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my remaining shares of APDN which has jumped 10% over the past five days. I presently own shares of COIN, AVLR, KGC, AHCO, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

11 Jun 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my remaining shares of RNG which has jumped 13% over the past five days! With only a couple of exceptions, I’ve now reduced my portfolio down to names I plan to hold for a while.  I presently own shares of COIN, AVLR, KGC, AHCO, APDN, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

8 Jun 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my remaining shares of NOVA which has jumped 10% over the past three days! I presently own shares of COIN, AVLR, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

7 Jun 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my remaining shares of AMWL which jumped 8% today! I presently own shares of COIN, AVLR, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, VST, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

2 Jun 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did some more selling. I am continuing to sell those last few lots of shares with losses as they become less negative in nature. Across all of the lots bought for stocks, however, they have experienced gains overall – it’s just the last few lots I’ve been holding that have some losses since I like to use “Last In First Out” when selling my investments instead of “First In First Out” as a lot of people do.

 

I sold FSR (jumped 10% today!), OPEN (jumped 8% today!), and nearly all of my shares of AMWL (jumped 13% over the past 6 days). Right now I’m sitting on a 10% gain for the year so far (including all of my unrealized losses) which is 4 times the goal I had at the beginning of the year. Not bad for a low risk investment strategy. I presently own shares of COIN, AVLR, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, VST, AMWL, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

28 May 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did some more selling. I sold AFRM, PLUG, RAMP, and ZG which each had some pretty good gains. I presently own shares of OPEN, COIN, AVLR, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, VST, AMWL, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

27 May 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did some more selling. I am now starting to sell my losses as they become less negative in nature. So, I sold part of my shares of AMWL and FSR today which have had some pretty good gains lately – in effect reducing my losses quite a bit. The reason I’m now starting to sell my losses (as well as gains) is right now I’m sitting on a 9.6% gain for the year so far (including all of my unrealized losses) which is almost 4 times the goal I had at the beginning of the year. Not bad for a low risk investment strategy.

 

I presently own shares of OPEN, COIN, AFRM, AVLR, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, PLUG, VST, RAMP, AMWL, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

26 May 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did a whole lot of selling. In keeping with my latest strategy of “selling every gain,” I sold AYX and part of my shares of AFRM, AHCO, AVLR, FSR, NOVA, OPEN, PLUG, RAMP, and RNG (just the latest shares I bought recently which had gains from the time I bought them – the remaining shares I’m still holding). The reason I’ve been doing so much selling lately is right now I’m sitting on a 9.4% gain for the year so far which is almost 4 times the goal I had at the beginning of the year. Not bad for a low risk investment strategy.

 

I presently own shares of OPEN, COIN, AFRM, AVLR, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, PLUG, VST, RAMP, AMWL, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

24 May 2021:

 

Today in the stock market, in keeping with my latest strategy of “selling every gain,” I sold TWLO and part of my shares of ZG (just the latest shares I bought recently which had gains from the time I bought them – the remaining shares I’m still holding). I presently own shares of OPEN, COIN, AFRM, AVLR, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, PLUG, VST, RAMP, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

21 May 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did some more selling. I sold TMDX and SUMO. I’m still executing my new “sell every gain” strategy. We’ll see how things turn out. I presently own shares of OPEN, TWLO, COIN, AFRM, AVLR, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, PLUG, VST, RAMP, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

20 May 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did some more selling. I sold MGNI (which gained 11% since I bought it recently), SVMK, and part of my shares of RNG. I’m still executing my new “sell every gain” strategy. We’ll see how things turn out.

 

Yesterday, I bought a few more shares of COIN. I presently own shares of OPEN, TWLO, COIN, TMDX, AFRM, AVLR, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, PLUG, SUMO, VST, RAMP, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

 

18 May 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, my stocks surprisingly went up instead of down like the other major indices today. So, I did quite a bit of selling. I sold FROG and part of my shares of AMWL, FSR, PLUG, and SUMO. Yesterday, I bought a few more shares of NOVA. I presently own shares of MGNI, OPEN, TWLO, COIN, TMDX, AFRM, AVLR, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, SVMK, PLUG, SUMO, VST, RAMP, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

Since I have far exceeded my annual goal for this year and have done a lot of buying lately, my new strategy involves selling every gain – even if that involves selling partial shares such as what I did for AMWL above (and several others). The only exceptions to this will be those stocks which I think still have potential over the long term given the increased probability of inflation, overheating of the economy, and interest rate increases (e.g., energy, utilities, gold, shorting of bond market, etc.). The reason for this is that investors are not going to wait for the Fed to decide whether or not they want to start addressing these issues (they’ve called much of this transitory meaning they believe these effects will fade over time). Investors are likely to start aggressively positioning themselves as soon as the economic data and other indicators being to signal these kinds of pressures.   

 

 

14 May 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did a whole lot of selling. In keeping with my latest strategy of “selling every gain,” I sold CHPT, TENB, ET (which gain 32% since I bought it – 36% including dividends) and part of my shares of AMWL, AFRM, FSR, OPEN, PLUG, and TWLO (just the latest shares I bought recently which had gains from the time I bought them – the remaining shares I’m still holding). I had bought a whole bunch of shares of AMWL yesterday due to the huge drop and extremely oversold conditions. It really paid off today when it bounced 17%!

 

In addition to AMWL, yesterday I bought more shares of MGNI, OPEN, RNG, SUMO, TMDX, and TWLO and sold part of my shares of RAMP (just the latest shares I bought recently which had gains from the time I bought them – the remaining shares I’m still holding). I presently own shares of MGNI, OPEN, FROG, TWLO, COIN, TMDX, AFRM, AVLR, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, SVMK, PLUG, SUMO, VST, RAMP, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

Since I have far exceeded my annual goal for this year and have done a lot of buying lately, my new strategy involves selling every gain – even if that involves selling partial shares such as what I did for AMWL above (and several others). The only exceptions to this will be those stocks which I think still have potential over the long term given the increased probability of inflation, overheating of the economy, and interest rate increases (e.g., energy, utilities, gold, shorting of bond market, etc.). The reason for this is that investors are not going to wait for the Fed to decide whether or not they want to start addressing these issues (they’ve called much of this transitory meaning they believe these effects will fade over time). Investors are likely to start aggressively positioning themselves as soon as the economic data and other indicators being to signal these kinds of pressures.   

 

 

12 May 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of CHPT and bought a few more shares of AFRM, OPEN, PLUG, RAMP, RNG, TMDX, and ZG. I presently own shares of CHPT, MGNI, OPEN, FROG, TWLO, COIN, TMDX, AFRM, AVLR, TENB, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, VST, RAMP, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

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. So, use this period of social distancing to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for 2021 (and beyond!).

 

 

11 May 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of MGNI and sold a few shares of PLUG which jumped 18% today! I just sold the latest shares I bought recently of PLUG which had gains from the time I bought them – the remaining shares I’m still holding. As indicated previously, since I have far exceeded my annual goal for this year, my new strategy is to sell every gain – even if that involves selling partial shares such as what I did for PLUG above.

 

I presently own shares of MGNI, OPEN, FROG, TWLO, COIN, TMDX, AFRM, AVLR, TENB, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, VST, RAMP, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

10 May 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought OPEN and a few more shares of AMWL, PLUG, FSR, and NOVA. I presently own shares of OPEN, FROG, TWLO, COIN, TMDX, AFRM, AVLR, TENB, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, VST, RAMP, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

7 May 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought FROG and a few more shares of VST. I also did some selling. I sold MAXR and part of my shares of ZG and SUMO (just the latest shares I bought recently which had gains from the time I bought them – the remaining shares I’m still holding).

 

Since I have far exceeded my annual goal for this year and have done a lot of buying lately, my new strategy is to sell every gain – even if that involves selling partial shares such as what I did for ZG and SUMO above. The only exceptions to this will be those stocks which I think still have potential over the long term given the increased probability of inflation, overheating of the economy, and interest rate increases (e.g., energy, utilities, gold, shorting of bond market, etc.). The reason for this is that investors are not going to wait for the Fed to decide whether or not they want to start addressing these issues (they’ve called much of this transitory meaning they believe these effects will fade over time). Investors are likely to start aggressively positioning themselves as soon as the economic data and other indicators being to signal these kinds of pressures.   

 

I presently own shares of FROG, TWLO, COIN, TMDX, AFRM, AVLR, TENB, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, VST, RAMP, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

6 May 2021:

 

I did a whole lot of buying in the stock market today. I bought shares of TWLO (which dropped about 22% since I last sold it) and COIN. I also bought more shares of AFRM, AHCO, AMWL, AVLR, PLUG, RNG, and SUMO.

 

I presently own shares of TWLO, COIN, TMDX, MAXR, AFRM, AVLR, TENB, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, VST, RAMP, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

5 May 2021:

 

Today, I bought shares of TMDX (which dropped about 16% since I last sold it). I also bought more shares of AFRM, FSR, and ZG.

 

I presently own shares of TMDX, MAXR, AFRM, AVLR, TENB, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, VST, RAMP, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

4 May 2021:

 

Today, I did a whole lot of buying in the stock market. I’m so happy that I did all of the selling I did recently to have cash available. It’s a good thing to do from time to time because you never know when opportunities might present themselves. And having cash available allows you to capitalize on those.

 

Today, I bought shares of MAXR (which dropped about 25% since I last sold it), AFRM (which dropped about 20% since I last sold it), AVLR (which dropped about 13% since I last sold it). I also bought more shares of AMWL, APDN, AYX, PLUG, and NOVA.

 

I presently own shares of MAXR, AFRM, AVLR, TENB, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, VST, RAMP, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

3 May 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of TENB which has dropped about 13% since I last sold it recently. I also bought more shares of FSR and AMWL.

 

I presently own shares of TENB, NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, VST, RAMP, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

30 April 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of NOVA which has dropped about 10% since I last sold it. I also bought more shares of FSR and AMWL.

 

I presently own shares of NOVA, KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, VST, RAMP, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

26 April 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did a whole lot of selling. I sold AFRM, AI, AVLR, OPEN, TENB, and TMDX. Each of these stocks have gained between 10% and 20% since I bought them so I decided to sell to reduce my portfolio risk a bit. Each of these names still have room to run though. Also, today I bought a few more shares of KGC. 

 

I presently own shares of KGC, AHCO, APDN, RNG, FSR, ZG, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, VST, RAMP, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

23 April 2021:

 

Today, I had another good day in the stock market, so I decided to do some more selling. I sold CHPT as well as all of my remaining shares of DM and LAZR. LAZR jumped 19% today, CHPT jumped 11% today, and DM jumped 10% today. A couple of days ago you might recall that DM and LAZR had jumped about 15%. So, today’s gains pretty much added to those. I also bought a few more shares of KGC.

 

I presently own shares of KGC, AHCO, APDN, TMDX, OPEN, RNG, AFRM, FSR, TENB, ZG, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

22 April 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of KGC and sold my shares of NOVA, MAXR, and NLOK which had each gained about 15% or so since I bought them. These shares still have room to run but I wanted to trim more risk from my portfolio while the gains were good.

 

I presently own shares of CHPT, KGC, AHCO, APDN, LAZR, TMDX, OPEN, RNG, DM, AFRM, FSR, TENB, ZG, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, and TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

21 April 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold half of my shares of DM, LAZR, TMDX, and FSR which all jumped today about 15% or so. These shares still have room to run – I just wanted to start trimming some risk from my portfolio.

 

With all the buying I did over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been waiting for a nice “pop” so that I could sell some shares. And boy did I get it today!

 

I presently own shares of CHPT, KGC, AHCO, APDN, LAZR, TMDX, OPEN, RNG, DM, AFRM, FSR, TENB, ZG, NOVA, MAXR, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, TBT, and NLOK. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

 

 

20 April 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold my shares of NEM which gained about 16% since I first bought them. I also bought a few more shares of KGC, DM, LAZR, and TMDX. The reason I sold NEM today is because it appears to have limited upside compared to KGC (which is also in the gold arena) so I decided to sell NEM and start buying into KGC.

 

I presently own shares of CHPT, KGC, AHCO, APDN, LAZR, TMDX, OPEN, RNG, DM, AFRM, FSR, TENB, ZG, NOVA, MAXR, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, TBT, and NLOK. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

 

19 April 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of CHPT and KGC, and bought a few more shares of FSR, OPEN, RAMP, and TMDX.

 

I presently own shares of CHPT, KGC, AHCO, APDN, LAZR, TMDX, OPEN, RNG, DM, AFRM, FSR, TENB, ZG, NOVA, MAXR, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

 

 

15 April 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of AHCO and APDN and bought a few more shares of DM, FSR, PLUG, and LAZR.

 

I presently own shares of AHCO, APDN, LAZR, TMDX, OPEN, RNG, DM, AFRM, FSR, TENB, ZG, NOVA, MAXR, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

 

13 April 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of LAZR and sold my shares of GOCO and TWLO which each gained about 20% since I bought them just a few weeks ago. Yesterday, I bought a few more shares of AI, PLUG, FSR, and TMDX. I presently own shares of LAZR, TMDX, OPEN, RNG, DM, AFRM, FSR, TENB, ZG, NOVA, MAXR, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

 

9 April 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of TMDX. I presently own shares of TMDX, OPEN, RNG, DM, AFRM, FSR, TENB, ZG, TWLO, NOVA, MAXR, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, GOCO, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

 

8 April 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of OPEN. I presently own shares of OPEN, RNG, DM, AFRM, FSR, TENB, ZG, TWLO, NOVA, MAXR, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, GOCO, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

7 April 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of RNG and DM. I presently own shares of RNG, DM, AFRM, FSR, TENB, ZG, TWLO, NOVA, MAXR, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, GOCO, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

6 April 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold the shares of RMO I bought yesterday which jumped over 70% today! I rarely time things so beautifully, but decided to go ahead and take the gift!

 

I presently own shares of AFRM, FSR, TENB, ZG, TWLO, NOVA, MAXR, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, GOCO, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

5 Apr 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of AFRM, FSR, and RMO. I presently own shares of AFRM, FSR, RMO, TENB, ZG, TWLO, NOVA, MAXR, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, GOCO, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

1 Apr 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold my shares of VLDR which had jumped 16% around midday today. It was a pretty good bounce so I decided to go ahead and sell. If if drops a bit from these levels I might decide to start buying it again. I presently own shares of TENB, ZG, TWLO, NOVA, MAXR, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, GOCO, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

29 Mar 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought TENB and a few more shares of AMWL. I presently own shares of TENB, ZG, TWLO, NOVA, MAXR, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, VLDR, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, GOCO, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

26 Mar 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought ZG. I presently own shares of ZG, TWLO, NOVA, MAXR, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, VLDR, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, GOCO, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

25 Mar 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought TWLO. I presently own shares of TWLO, NOVA, MAXR, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, VLDR, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, GOCO, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

24 Mar 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I did a whole lot of buying. I bought NOVA, MAXR, SVMK, PLUG, and bought a few more shares of SUMO, AI, VLDR, and AMWL. I presently own shares of NOVA, MAXR, SVMK, PLUG, ET, SUMO, AI, VST, VLDR, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, GOCO, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

23 Mar 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of ET which have dropped some since I last sold it. I also bought a few more shares of AMWL. I presently own shares of ET, SUMO, AI, VST, VLDR, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, GOCO, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

22 Mar 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of SUMO. I presently own shares of SUMO, AI, VST, VLDR, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, GOCO, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

19 Mar 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of AI. I presently own shares of AI, VST, VLDR, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, GOCO, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

18 Mar 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of VST, VLDR, RAMP, and AVLR. VST and VLDR had dropped quite a bit since I last sold them so I decided to starting buying them again. I presently own shares of VST, VLDR, RAMP, AVLR, AMWL, AYX, GOCO, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

16 Mar 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of AMWL and AYX. I presently own shares of AMWL, AYX, GOCO, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

12 Mar 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of GOCO. I presently own shares of GOCO, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

11 Mar 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold RSI, CPST, APDN, and the rest of my shares of VLDR. VLDR and RSI jumped over 12% today and I had a little over a 20% gain on CPST over just a couple of weeks so I decided to go ahead and sell.

 

I presently own a few shares of ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

10 Mar 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I went on a selling spree. I sold most everything because I wanted to trim my portfolio down quite a bit to reflect more of the lower risk investment approach I’m taking this year. I’ve already exceeded my year-end investment goal this year, and it’s only March, so I thought it might be wise to do some exiting. Most of the stocks had achieved pretty good gains (20% or so) – especially over the past couple of days. I sold VST, PAA, DSKE, ET, ETRN, TDS, and the rest of my shares of RMO.

 

I presently own a few shares of CPST, RSI, APDN, VLDR, ACCO, TBT, NLOK, and NEM. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

9 Mar 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold most of my shares of RMO and VST. RMO jumped 24% earlier today! Both of these stocks had fallen substantially (RMO had fallen about 47% since I first bought it two months ago and VLDR had fallen about 27% since I first bought it two weeks ago). But I kept buying into them on the way down and it takes a lot of discipline when trying to make the turnaround happen. So, it feels like a victory to be able to exit today pretty much even. I still have a few shares of each in case they experience gains in the future, but they had grown to be about 12% of my portfolio each (24% total) with all the buying I did on the way down which was higher than the “low risk” I was aiming for my portfolio to achieve.

 

I presently own shares of VST, CPST, RSI, APDN, VLDR, ACCO, PAA, DSKE, ET, RMO, ETRN, TBT, TDS, NLOK, and NEM. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of CPST, RSI, APDN, VLDR, DSKE, TBT, and RMO. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

26 Feb 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of VST and more shares of NEM and VLDR. You might recall that I sold VST about a week ago when I earned a 25% gain. Well, it’s dropped about 26% since I sold them so I decided to go ahead and start buying again.

 

I presently own shares of VST, CPST, RSI, APDN, VLDR, ACCO, PAA, DSKE, ET, RMO, ETRN, TBT, TDS, NLOK, and NEM. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of CPST, RSI, APDN, VLDR, DSKE, TBT, and RMO. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

25 Feb 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of CPST and RSI. I presently own shares of CPST, RSI, APDN, VLDR, ACCO, PAA, DSKE, ET, RMO, ETRN, TBT, TDS, NLOK, and NEM. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of CPST, RSI, APDN, VLDR, DSKE, TBT, and RMO. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

23 Feb 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of APDN, VLDR, and more shares of RMO. I presently own shares of APDN, VLDR, ACCO, PAA, DSKE, ET, RMO, ETRN, TBT, TDS, NLOK, and NEM. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of APDN, VLDR, DSKE, TBT, and RMO. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

18 Feb 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of ACCO and more shares of RMO. RMO is a speculative stock I bought several weeks ago which has fallen considerably but is due for a bounce. Thank goodness I only bought a few shares.

 

I also sold my shares of VST which gained 25% since I bought them several weeks ago which is a little over a 3-year gain on average.

 

I presently own shares of ACCO, PAA, DSKE, ET, RMO, ETRN, TBT, TDS, NLOK, and NEM. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of DSKE, TBT, and RMO. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

 

11 Feb 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of PAA and more shares of RMO. I presently own shares of PAA, DSKE, ET, RMO, ETRN, TBT, TDS, NLOK, NEM, and VST. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of DSKE, TBT, and RMO. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

 

10 Feb 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of DSKE and ET. I presently own shares of DSKE, ET, RMO, ETRN, TBT, TDS, NLOK, NEM, and VST. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of DSKE, TBT, and RMO. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

4 Feb 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold my shares of SVXY which jumped about 12% since I bought them a few days ago. I presently own shares of RMO, ETRN, TBT, TDS, NLOK, NEM, and VST. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of TBT and RMO. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

29 Jan 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of SVXY which essentially positions for a decline in the Volatility Index (VIX). I presently own shares of SVXY, RMO, ETRN, TBT, TDS, NLOK, NEM, and VST. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of SVXY, TBT, and RMO. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

20 Jan 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of ETRN and RMO. ETRN dropped 12% since I last sold it so I started buying again. It’s rare when I make speculative plays in the stock market, but I decided to do just that when I bought a few shares of RMO. I presently own shares of RMO, ETRN, TBT, TDS, NLOK, NEM, and VST. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of TBT and RMO. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

 

11 Jan 2021:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of TBT. I presently own shares of TBT, TDS, NLOK, NEM, and VST. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of TBT. We’ll see what the rest of 2021 brings.

 

31 DECEMBER 2020:

 

FINAL SCORE =>>> JOE: +164% STOCK MARKET: +16%

 

What a year I had in the stock market this year! I had my record year – a 164% gain.  I broke my previous all time record (a 73% gain in 2015) back in April and the gains have just kept on coming.

 

After today’s market close, my investment account had a year-end gain of +164.3% while my year end stretch goal was +12%. This is about a 22-year gain (on average) in a single year and substantially greater than the returns of each of the major market indexes such as the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (+43.6%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (+16.3%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (+7.3%), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (+18.4%). So, overall, this was a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what 2021 brings.

 

I started out the year using my late cycle bull market strategy which involves shorting the overall stock market and selling periodic gains and repeating this (I used the UVXY to short the market). I earned my first 13% of gains this year using this strategy which is the same strategy I used in 2019 when I earned a 20% gain.

 

At the beginning of March, I switched things up and started using my overall market based correction & bear market strategy which involves buying into the stock market a little at a time, selling significant rallies, and then continuing to buy into the stock market until it appears to go through a bottoming process. I don’t get to use this strategy very often but it really paid off. I earned an additional 65.0% gain using that strategy which brought my total gain for the year to 78.0% by the end of April.

 

At the beginning of May, after the overall stock markets recovered quite a bit, I switched over to my bull market strategy which involves using my standard dividend stock picking strategies and techniques for bull markets. I earned an additional 70.0% using these which brought my total gain for the year to 148.0% by early November.

 

In November/December, I started taking a lower risk and more conservative approach so as not to lose the gains for the year to date. I earned my final 16.3% of gains using this strategy which brought my total gain for the year to 164.3%. I plan to continue this low risk/conservative strategy into 2021 (and beyond) since I have far exceeded my financial goals.

 

 

30 DEC 2020:

 

Today, in the stock market, I sold my shares of NRG. It might have more room to run, but after a 10% in just a couple of weeks I decided to go ahead and cash out on the gain since I’m starting to be a bit more conservative as an investor after the huge gain this year overall.  I presently own shares of TDS, NLOK, NEM, and VST. Each of these stocks pay good dividends. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 and 2021 brings.

 

 

11 DEC 2020:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of NRG and more shares of TDS and VST. I also sold my shares of FE which gained about 13% since I bought them – plus, NRG and VST, which are other utility stocks, looked much more attractive than FE from a price perspective. I presently own shares of NRG, TDS, NLOK, NEM, and VST. Each of these stocks pay good dividends. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 and 2021 brings.

 

 

7 DEC 2020:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of TDS and a few more shares of VST. I presently own shares of TDS, NLOK, NEM, VST, and FE. Each of these stocks pay good dividends. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 and 2021 brings.

 

 

27 NOV 2020:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of VST. I presently own shares of NLOK, NEM, VST, and FE. Each of these stocks pay good dividends. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 and 2021 brings.

 

 

25 NOV 2020:

 

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of NLOK. I presently own shares of NLOK, NEM, and FE. Each of these stocks appear to pay sustainable dividends. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 and 2021 brings.

 

 

24 NOV 2020:

 

Today, I decided to start buying again in the stock market to position myself for 2021. Everything has gotten so high in the past couple of weeks (and this may continue since seasonally this is the time to buy and hold stocks) but I did find two declining stocks which have potential for upside: NEM and FE. These stocks may decline a bit more in the days to come, but if they do I plan to roll into them and then hold for an eventual reversal. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 and 2021 brings.

 

 

9 NOV 2020:

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +148% STOCK MARKET: +10%

 

Today, I was a selling madman! Everything jumped so much that I sold everything I had and am now completely out of the stock market. And what a year it has been! I suppose now I’ll take a break from the stock market for a while – at least until prices settle down a bit and become much more attractive. I’ve been an active investor all year this year so it will be nice to get away from it for a while.

 

Some of the stocks I sold today probably have more upside since seasonally this is a good time to buy/hold instead of sell stocks. But my gains overall were just too good to pass up. So, I will now patiently wait on the sidelines until future opportunities come available.

 

I’m having my record year in the stock market this year. I first broke my previous all time record (a 73% gain in 2015) back in April and the gains have kept on coming. I’ve now more than doubled that previous record.

 

As of today, my investment account was tracking a year-end gain of +148.0% while my year end stretch goal was +12%. So, I’ve almost tripled what I started out with this year. This is about a 21-year gain (on average) in just over 10 months and is substantially greater than the returns of each of the major market indexes such as the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (+30.6%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (+9.9%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (+2.2%), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (+2.2%). So, overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 brings.

 

 

6 NOV 2020:

 

Today, I bought shares of PSX, COP, AIV, and more shares of FANG. I also sold my shares of CVS which jumped 19% over the few days since I bought it. That’s almost a 3-year gain on average in just a few days. I presently own shares of PSX, COP, AIV, RTX, FNF, APO, NYCB, FNF, EQH, FANG, DVN, PAA, PAGP, XPER, C, XLE, and VLO. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

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. So, use this period of social distancing to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for the rest of 2020 (and beyond!).

 

 

5 NOV 2020:

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +116% STOCK MARKET: +9%

 

Today, I did some selling to trim my portfolio a bit and reduce my risk. I sold some of my shares of PAA, PAGP, XPER, and FANG. These stocks probably have more upside since seasonally this is a good time to buy/hold instead of sell stocks. But it probably makes sense to reduce risk from time to time to have case available for any future opportunities which come available.

 

I’m having my record year in the stock market this year.  I first broke my previous all time record (a 73% gain in 2015) back in April and the gains have kept on coming.

 

I presently own shares of ETRN, RTX, FNF, APO, CVS, NYCB, FNF, FANG, PAA, PAGP, XPER, C, XLE, and VLO. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

After today’s market close, my investment account was tracking a year-end gain of +116.1% while my year end stretch goal was +12%. So, I’ve more than doubled what I started out with this year. This is about a 16-year gain (on average) in just over 10 months and is substantially greater than the returns of each of the major market indexes such as the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (+32.5%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (+8.7%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (-0.5%), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (-0.5%). So, overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 brings.

 

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. So, use this period of social distancing to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for the rest of 2020 (and beyond!).

 

 

3 NOV 2020:

 

Today, I sold my shares of DVN and bought shares of ETRN. I presently own shares of ETRN, RTX, FNF, APO, CVS, NYCB, FNF, FANG, PAA, PAGP, XPER, C, XLE, and VLO. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

 

2 NOV 2020:

 

Today, I sold my shares of EQH which gained over 16% in just one week. I owned this stock just a few weeks ago and sold it for a 18% gain and then bought it again last week for another 16% gain (a 34% gain between the two which is about a 5-year gain on average in just a few weeks). I also sold some of my shares of XLE, FANG, DVN, PAA, PAGP, and VLO. I presently own shares of RTX, FNF, APO, CVS, NYCB, FNF, FANG, DVN, PAA, PAGP, XPER, C, XLE, and VLO. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

30 OCT 2020:

 

Today, I bought shares of RTX, FNF, APO, and CVS and sold some of my shares of DVN.   I presently own shares of RTX, FNF, APO, CVS, NYCB, FNF, EQH, FANG, DVN, PAA, PAGP, XPER, C, XLE, and VLO. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

 

27 OCT 2020:

 

Today, I bought NYCB and more shares of FNF, EQH, FANG, and DVN. I presently own shares of NYCB, FNF, EQH, FANG, DVN, PAA, PAGP, XPER, C, XLE, and VLO. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

 

26 OCT 2020:

 

It’s always good to have cash on hand for days like today when the market sells off so much. So, today I did a whole lot of buying. I bought FNF, EQH, and more shares of C, XLE, and FANG. I presently own shares of FNF, EQH, FANG, DVN, PAA, PAGP, XPER, C, XLE, and VLO. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

23 OCT 2020:

 

Today, I sold my shares of HIG and ISBC which each gained about 16% since I bought them a month ago which is a little over a 2 year again in just a few weeks. I presently own shares of FANG, DVN, PAA, PAGP, XPER, C, XLE, and VLO. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

8 OCT 2020:

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +108% STOCK MARKET: +7%

 

Today, I did a lot of selling to trim my portfolio a bit and reduce my risk. I sold my entire shares of BPOP, FE, EQH, LNC, KRE, and PACW. I also sold part of my shares of XPER, XLO, VLO, PAGP, PAA, and DVN. Those that I sold my entire shares of were approaching overbought territory so the upside looked a bit limited at these levels even though seasonally this is a good time to buy/hold instead of sell stocks. Concerning the remaining stocks I partially sold, these were all in the energy sector (with the exception of XPER) and I was a bit heavier in that sector than I wanted to be.

 

I’m having my record year in the stock market this year.  I first broke my previous all time record (a 73% gain in 2015) back in April and the gains have kept on coming.

 

I presently own shares of HIG, ISBC, FANG, DVN, PAA, PAGP, XPER, C, XLE, and VLO. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

After today’s market close, my investment account was tracking a year-end gain of +108.2% while my year end stretch goal was +12%. So, I’ve more than doubled what I started out with this year. This is more than a 15-year gain (on average) in just over 9 months and is substantially greater than the returns of each of the major market indexes such as the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (+27.3%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (+6.7%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (-0.4%), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (-2.4%). So, overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 brings.

 

 

7 OCT 2020:

 

Today, I sold my shares of SNV, BG, and RDN. These stocks are approaching overbought territory so the upside looks a bit limited at these levels. Plus I earned about a 32% gain on SNV and a 27% gain on BG in just a few weeks. So, that’s about a 4+ year gain in just a few weeks.

 

I presently own shares of EQH, HIG, LNC, PACW, ISBC, KRE, FANG, DVN, PAA, PAGP, XPER, C, XLE, BPOP, VLO, and FE. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

 

25 SEP 2020:

 

Today, I bought shares of EQH, HIG, and LNC. I presently own shares of EQH, HIG, LNC, PACW, ISBC, RDN, KRE, FANG, DVN, PAA, PAGP, XPER, BG, C, XLE, BPOP, VLO, SNV, and FE. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

 

23 SEP 2020:

 

The market sell-off continued in a big way today! So, I bought more shares of PAA, PAGP, XLE, VLO and C. At this point, I think I am just going to “buy and ride.” I mean it’s pretty likely the stocks will recover their previous recent highs over the next few months which would offer significant upside at these levels – at least for the stocks I’ve been buying. So, I’m content to collect the dividends and just wait things out.

 

I presently own shares of PACW, ISBC, KRE, FANG, DVN, PAA, PAGP, XPER, BG, C, XLE, BPOP, VLO, SNV, RDN, and FE. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

 

22 SEP 2020:

 

Today, I bought PACW and ISBC. I presently own shares of PACW, ISBC, KRE, FANG, DVN, PAA, PAGP, XPER, BG, C, XLE, BPOP, VLO, RDN, SNV, and FE. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

 

21 SEP 2020:

 

It’s always good to have cash on hand for days like today when the markets have a big drop. Today, I did a whole lot of buying. I bought KRE and more shares of C, RDN, XLE, PAA, and PAGP.  I presently own shares of KRE, FANG, DVN, PAA, PAGP, XPER, BG, C, XLE, BPOP, VLO, RDN, SNV, and FE. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

 

14 SEP 2020:

 

Today, I sold my shares of WRK which have gained about 28% since I bought them several weeks ago.  I presently own shares of FANG, DVN, PAA, PAGP, XPER, BG, C, XLE, BPOP, VLO, RDN, SNV, and FE. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

 

 

8 SEP 2020:

 

Today, I bought shares of FANG, DVN, XPER, and XLE which look highly favorable right now from a price standpoint.  I presently own shares of FANG, DVN, PAA, PAGP, XPER, BG, C, XLE, BPOP, VLO, RDN, SNV, FE, and WRK. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

 

18 AUG 2020:

 

Today, I bought shares of PAA and PAGP. The dividends are probably too large to be sustainable so dividend cuts will probably happen, but the stocks look highly favorable right now from a price standpoint.  I presently own shares of PAA, PAGP, XPER, BG, C, XLE, BPOP, VLO, RDN, SNV, FE, and WRK. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

 

13 AUG 2020:

 

Today, I bought shares of XPER. The dividend is small but the upside looks highly favorable. I presently own shares of XPER, BG, C, XLE, BPOP, VLO, RDN, SNV, FE, and WRK. Each of these stocks pay good dividends with the exception of XPER.

 

 

11 AUG 2020:

 

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +103% STOCK MARKET: +3%

 

Today, I sold my shares of BKU, RGA, RDN, and KRE. BKU and RGA have each gained about 40% since I bought them a month ago, and RDN and KRE have gained about 16% since I bought them. Each of these stocks still have room to run over the long term, but are overbought so I decided to go ahead and sell them just to reduce my risk a bit.

 

I’m having my record year in the stock market this year.  I first broke my previous all time record (a 73% gain in 2015) back in April and the gains have kept on coming.

 

I presently own shares of BG, C, XLE, BPOP, VLO, SNV, FE, and WRK. Each of these stocks pay good dividends.

 

After today’s market close, my investment account was tracking a year-end gain of +103.0% while my year end stretch goal was +12%. So, I’ve more than doubled what I started out with this year. This is nearly a 15-year gain (on average) in only 7 months and is substantially greater than the returns of each of the major market indexes such as the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (+20.2%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (+3.2%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (-3.0%), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (-5.6%). So, overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 brings.

 

 

29 JULY 2020:

 

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +98% STOCK MARKET: +1%

 

I’m having my record year in the stock market this year.  I first broke my previous all time record (a 73% gain in 2015) back in April and the gains have kept on coming.

 

Now, a lot of you might be wondering, with a 98% gain, why I haven’t sold my stocks. Well, the reason is that every stock I have bought has been beaten down and substantially lags the S&P500 index (SPX). They are each heavily negative for the year so far while the SPX has a small gain. And lagging stocks usually eventually become leading stocks. And since each of the stocks I’m holding pays good dividends, I can afford to simply wait things out a bit.

 

After today’s market close, my investment account was tracking a year-end gain of +97.6% while my year end stretch goal was +12%. This is about a 14-year gain (on average) in only 7 months and is substantially greater than the returns of each of the major market indexes such as the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (+17.5%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (+0.9%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (-7.0%), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (-10.1%). So, overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 brings.

 

 

23 JULY 2020:

 

Today, I bought shares of FE. This company has legal troubles brewing so it may not be the ideal time to buy shares, but the stock has fallen so much over the past few days that I thought I’d go ahead and buy. If the stock falls further, I’ll keep buying.

 

I presently own shares of BG, C, XLE, BPOP, BKU, RGA, KRE, VLO, RDN, SNV, FE, and WRK. Each of these stocks pay good dividends. Surprisingly, in today’s down market, all of my stocks went up today except for two. Let’s hope that continues.

 

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. So, use this period of social distancing to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for the rest of 2020 (and beyond!).

 

15 JULY 2020:

 

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +94% STOCK MARKET: 0%

 

I’m having my record year in the stock market this year.  I first broke my previous all time record (a 73% gain in 2015) back in April and the gains have kept on coming.

 

After today’s market close, my investment account was tracking a year-end gain of +93.7% while my year end stretch goal was +12%. This is a little over a 13-year gain (on average) in only 6.5 months and is substantially greater than the returns of each of the major market indexes such as the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (+17.6%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (-0.1%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (-5.9%), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (-11.4%). So, overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 brings.

 

I started out the year using my late cycle bull market strategy which involves shorting the overall stock market and selling periodic gains and repeating this (I used the UVXY to short the market). I earned my first 13% of gains this year using this strategy which is the same strategy I used last year when I earned a 20% gain.

 

At the beginning of March, I switched things up and started using my correction & bear market strategy which involves buying into the stock market a little at a time, selling significant rallies, and then continuing to buy into the stock market until it appears to go through a bottoming process. I don’t get to use this strategy often but it has really paid off that month. I earned an additional 65.0% gain using that strategy.

 

At the beginning of May, after the overall stock markets recovered quite a bit, I switched over to my bull market strategy which involves using my standard dividend stock picking strategies and techniques for bull markets. I’ve earned an additional 15.7% using these which brings my total gain for the year to 93.7%. Not bad for it being only 6.5 months into the year.

 

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. So, use this period of social distancing to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for the rest of 2020 (and beyond!).

 

14 Jul 2020:

Today, I bought shares of SNV. I presently own shares of BG, C, XLE, BPOP, BKU, RGA, KRE, VLO, RDN, SNV, and WRK. Each of these stocks pay good dividends.

 

 

10 Jul 2020:

Today, I bought shares of RDN. I presently own shares of BG, C, XLE, BPOP, BKU, RGA, KRE, VLO, RDN, and WRK. Each of these stocks pay good dividends.

 

9 Jul 2020:

 

Today, I bought more shares of BG, XLE, BPOP, BKU, KRE, & VLO. I also bought shares of RGA. I presently own shares of BG, C, XLE, BPOP, BKU, RGA, KRE, VLO, and WRK. Each of these stocks pay good dividends.

 

 

 

 

8 Jul 2020:

 

Today, I bought shares of BKU and VLO which pay good dividends. I presently own shares of C, XLE, KRE, BG, BPOP, BKU, VLO, and WRK. Each of these stocks pay good dividends.

 

 

26 Jun 2020:

 

Today, I bought a few more shares of XLE, KRE, and WRK which have fallen a bit since I last bought them just over two weeks ago. If they continue falling, I’ll continue buying. I also bought shares of BPOP. I presently own shares of C, XLE, KRE, BG, BPOP, and WRK. Each of these stocks pay good dividends.

 

 

11 Jun 2020:

 

It might be a bit too early to start buying stocks again, but the stock market fell by so much today that I decided to go ahead and buy a few shares. Today, I bought BG, C, XLE, KRE, and WRK. If they continue falling, I’ll continue buying. Each of these stocks pay good dividends.

 

 

5 Jun 2020:

 

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +87% STOCK MARKET: -1%

 

Today, I sold the rest of my XLE. My investment account has gained 87% in just over 5 months (which is a little over a 12 year gain on average) so I wanted to go ahead and sell to hold on to these gains. This will allow me to have cash available for any future opportunities which might become available. 

 

I am now completely out of the stock market and am looking forward to getting a break from it for a while. Everything looks pretty high right now and the major market indexes are deeply in overbought territory and due for a pullback. So, I am content to just wait things out until opportunities become attractive again.

 

 

3 Jun 2020:

 

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +85% STOCK MARKET: -3%

 

Today, I sold some more of my XLE. My investment account has gained 85% in only 5 months (which is about a 12 year gain on average) so I wanted to do some selling so that I have cash available for any future opportunities which become available. I presently just own a few shares of XLE which  pays a decent dividend.

 

27 May 2020:

 

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +84% STOCK MARKET: -6%

 

Today, I sold BG, WRK, and some of my XLE. My investment account has gained 83% in only 5 months (which is about a 12 year gain on average) so I wanted to do some selling so that I have cash available for any future opportunities which become available. I presently just own a few shares of XLE which  pays a decent dividend.

 

 

26 May 2020:

 

Today, I sold C, BKU, and KRE since they have gained the equivalent of roughly 5 years worth of dividends in only 2 weeks (I frequently use 5-year dividend equivalents as sell indicators).  These shares gained about 20%+ since I bought them a couple of weeks ago so I decided to sell. I presently own shares of XLE, BG, and WRK. Each of these stocks pay good dividends.

 

 

13 May 2020:

It might be a bit too early to start buying stocks again, but some of the ones I’ve been tracking have fallen by so much that I decided to go ahead and buy a few shares. Today, I bought BG, BKU, WRK, KRE (which has fallen about 21% since I last sold it), and C (which has fallen about 17% since I last sold it). If they continue falling, I’ll continue buying. Overall, I presently own shares of XLE, BG, BKU, WRK, KRE, and C. Each of these stocks pay good dividends.

 

 

6 May 2020:

Today, I sold my shares of WDC, which suspended their dividend a few days ago, so I decided not to keep holding it because there are several other investment opportunities I’m tracking which are starting to look more favorable. So, the only shares I own right now are a few shares of XLE.

 

 

29 Apr 2020:

 

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +78% STOCK MARKET: -11%

 

Today, I sold my shares of C, DFS, SYF, KRE, and part of my XLE. So, the only shares I own right now are a few shares of XLE and WDC. I sold most everything I had today for two reasons: (1) My investment account has earned 78% in only 4 months (which is just over an 11 year gain on average), and (2) the price appreciation of each of these stocks exceeded 5 years worth of dividend payments.

 

So, I plan to sit back a while and see what happens before doing much else in the stock market I suppose. As of today, I ended up breaking my all time record back in 2015 (a 73% gain) in just four months, so I decided to aggressively sell to reduce risk and have cash available to take advantage of any opportunities which might become available in the future.

 

After today’s market close, my investment account was tracking a year-end gain of +78.1% while my year end stretch goal was +12%. This is a little over a 11-year gain (on average) in only four months and is substantially greater than the negative returns of each of the major market indexes such as the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (-0.7%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (-9.0%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (-13.7), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (-18.4%).

 

So, overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 brings.

 

I started out the year using my late cycle bull market strategy which involves shorting the overall stock market and selling periodic gains and repeating this (I used the UVXY to short the market). I earned my first 13% of gains this year using this strategy which is the same strategy I used last year when I earned a 20% gain.

 

At the beginning of March, I switched things up and started using my correction & bear market strategy which involves buying into the stock market a little at a time, selling significant rallies, and then continuing to buy into the stock market until it appears to go through a bottoming process. I don’t get to use this strategy often but it has really paid off this month. I’ve earned an additional 65.0% gain using this strategy which brings my total gain for the year to 78.0%. Not bad for being only four months into the year – especially when the overall stock market indexes are negative.

 

Below is the latest investing strategy I’ve been using and part of the basis for my decision to sell these today.

 

Lately, I have focused on buying stocks that pay good, sustainable dividends. Some of you might be wondering what indicator I might use to determine when to potentially sell some of my shares. Well, one thing I like to do is look at the projected annual dividend and multiply that by 5 years. So, if the price average (i.e. the cost basis) of a stock is $20 a share and pays a projected annual dividend of $1.00 per share, then once the stock price hits $25 per share [$20 + ($1.00 x 5)], I will look more closely at it to see whether significant further price appreciation is anticipated or not. If so, I’ll continue holding it for a little while. If not I’ll go ahead and start selling. I’ll base this hold/sell determination not only on the individual stocks themselves but also on the overall stock market since most individual stocks move with the major stock market indices. So, if significant price appreciation is anticipated for the major stock market indices, I’ll be inclined to hold. Otherwise, I’ll be inclined to sell.

 

So, if the example scenario above happens quickly, then I would have a 25% gain to cash out on which I could apply to new opportunities. If the targeted price appreciation doesn’t happen until the end of the 5 year period then I could cash at that time with a 50% gain (the 25% in price appreciation + the 25% collected in dividends over that 5 year time frame). So, this might be a good approach to consider using for your investments as well.

 

 

27 Apr 2020:

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +68% STOCK MARKET: -11%

Today, I sold my shares of GM and MPC. GM suspended their dividend so I decided not to keep holding it and MPC had gained about 25% since I bought it and is also already a part of the XLE ETF I own so I decided to sell. It’s only four months into the year and I am only about six percentage points from breaking my all time record back in 2015 (a 73% gain) so I decided to do some selling to reduce risk and have cash available to take advantage of any opportunities which might become available in the future.

 

The correction & bear market strategy I’ve been using has been working well! It’s been truly an amazing year so far! This is my 2nd best year so far since the 2007-2009 financial crisis in just 4 months. My record year was 2015 in which I earned a 73% gain (which is about a 10 year gain on average). My third best year was 2012 when I earned a 43% gain (which is about a 6 year gain on average).

 

After today’s market close, my investment account was tracking a year-end gain of +68.3% while my year end stretch goal was +12%. This is a little over a 9-year gain (on average) in only about four months and is substantially greater than the negative returns of each of the major market indexes such as the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (-4.1%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (-11.4%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (-15.6), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (-22.0%).

 

So, overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 brings.

 

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. So, use this period of social distancing to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for the rest of 2020 (and beyond!).

 

 

16 Apr 2020:

Today, I bought shares of C which has dropped 17% since I last sold it just a couple of weeks ago. I also continued buying into GM, MPC, WDC, SYF, KRE, DFS, and XLE. I plan to continue steadily buying into each of these on any significant declines and then simply holding these over the long term.  Each of these shares pay good dividends and will probably be good stocks to have over the longer term.

 

15 Apr 2020:

Today, I bought shares of GM, MPC, WDC, and some more shares of the ones I bought yesterday (SYF, KRE, and DFS). Each of these shares pay good dividends and will probably be good stocks to have over the longer term.

 

14 Apr 2020:

Today, I bought shares of SYF, KRE, and DFS. The latter had fallen 15% since the time I sold it so it looks much more attractively priced now. Each of these shares pay good dividends and will probably be good stocks to have over the longer term.

 

9 Apr 2020:

 

I decided to sell C, GM, and DFS today. These stocks have gained between 30%-40% in just a couple of weeks. They might keep going up but I thought it might be best to cash out of these and wait for other opportunities.

 

I bought heavily into this beaten down market and have earned a 53% gain in just over 3 months. So, it’s probably time to do some selling. I’ve made these moves because stock prices might start dropping again during earnings season and as additional bad economic data gets released.

 

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. So, use this period of social distancing to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for the rest of 2020 (and beyond!).

 

 

8 Apr 2020:

 

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +51% STOCK MARKET: -15%

 

The correction & bear market strategy I’ve been using has been working well! It’s been truly an amazing year so far! This is my 2nd best year so far since the 2007-2009 financial crisis in just over 3 months. My record year was 2015 in which I earned a 73% gain (which is about a 10 year gain on average). My third best year was 2012 when I earned a 43% gain (which is about a 6 year gain on average).

 

Always remember there is opportunity no matter which direction the stock markets go: up or down. If the markets go up, then I’ll just hold tight and capitalize on the gains. If the markets go down, then I will roll into some of the potential buying opportunities I have on my watch list which I update fairly frequently these days. Lately, I have focused on buying stocks that pay good, sustainable dividends. I am currently invested in XLE, DFS, GM, C, and EFA.

 

Some of you might be wondering what indicator I might use to determine when to potentially sell some of my shares. Well, one thing I like to do is look at the projected annual dividend and multiply that by 5 years. So, if the price average (i.e. the cost basis) of a stock is $20 a share and pays a projected annual dividend of $1.00 per share, then once the stock price hits $25 per share [$20 + ($1.00 x 5)], I will look more closely at it to see whether significant further price appreciation is anticipated or not. If so, I’ll continue holding it for a little while, if not I’ll go ahead and start selling. I’ll base this hold/sell determination not only on the individual stocks themselves but also on the overall stock market since most individual stocks move with the major stock market indices.  So, if significant price appreciation is anticipated for the major stock market indices, I’ll be inclined to hold. Otherwise, I’ll be inclined to sell.

 

So, if the example scenario above happens quickly, then I would have a 25% gain to cash out on which I could apply to new opportunities.  If the targeted price appreciation doesn’t happen until the end of the 5 year period then I could cash at that time with a 50% gain (the 25% in price appreciation + the 25% collected in dividends over that 5 year time frame). So, this might be a good approach to consider using for your investments as well.

 

After today’s market close, my investment account was tracking a year-end gain of +50.8% while my year end stretch goal was +12%. This is just over a 7-year gain (on average) in just over three months and is substantially greater than the deep negative returns of each of the major market indexes such as the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (-9.8%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (-14.8%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (-17.9), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (-28.6%).

 

So, overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 brings.

 

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. So, use this period of social distancing to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for the rest of 2020 (and beyond!).

 

6 Apr 2020:

 

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +41% STOCK MARKET: -18%

 

The correction & bear market strategy I’ve been using has been working wonderfully. This is my 3rd best year so far since the 2007-2009 financial crisis in just over 3 months. My record year was 2015 in which I earned a 73% gain (which is about a 10 year gain on average). My second best year was 2012 when I earned a 43% gain (which is about a 6 year gain on average).

 

Always remember there is opportunity no matter which direction the stock markets go: up or down. If the markets go up, then I’ll just hold tight and capitalize on the gains. If the markets go down, then I will roll into some of the potential buying opportunities I have on my watch list which I update fairly frequently these days.

 

After today’s market close, my investment account was tracking a year-end gain of +40.9% while my year end stretch goal was +12%. This is nearly a 6-year gain (on average) in just over three months and is substantially greater than the deep negative returns of each of the major market indexes such as the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (-11.8%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (-17.6%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (-20.5), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (-31.8%).

 

So, overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 brings.

 

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. So, use this period of social distancing to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for the rest of 2020 (and beyond!).

 

4 Apr 2020:

 

Anytime something great happens for me, financially speaking, I’m a big believer in using at least part of the proceeds to offer a unique opportunity to someone. I usually create a Beneficiaries Reserve Fund for this purpose which I add to over time. And you never know who the benefactor(s) might be. I simply pay attention to what’s going on and someone(s) will usually come to mind who might be well-served by this kind of financial assistance.

 

Essentially, the way my Beneficiaries Reserve Fund works is this: I have a financial target to meet and if I exceed that target, then half of the excess amount goes to me for personal use and the other half goes to the Beneficiaries Reserve Fund. It’s just a promise I’ve made to myself and kept over my years of investing.

 

Well, if you’ve been following my posts regarding the stock market, then you know I am having one heck of a year so far. My stretch goal at the beginning of the year was a 12% gain but I am currently tracking an end of year gain of 35%. So, all of those years of learning and refining my skills and techniques have really paid off this year.

 

Recently, I used what I had saved in my Beneficiaries Reserve Fund to help someone who has struggled for years with a large amount of debt and high-interest-rate credit cards. I thought it would be nice to offer this person the stress-free experience of living debt free and the wonderful peace and joy and freedom that it brings. I’m glad I helped and hope this will create a most wonderful life for this person in the years and decades to come.

 

Well, things have continued to go well for me so I just started depositing my first set of new funds into this Beneficiaries Reserve Fund. Hopefully, in a few months or years, I will have enough to help out the next person(s). And you never know who the benefactor(s) might be. I simply pay attention to what’s going on and someone(s) will usually come to mind who might be well-served by this kind of financial assistance.

 

So, let’s hope these successes continue so I can keep adding to my Beneficiaries Reserve Fund.

 

3 Apr 2020:

 

For those who might have interest, I bought stocks in 3 companies on my watch list today in the stock market sell-off. The ticker symbols are C, DFS, and GM. I presently own the above plus shares of XLE and EFA. I plan to keep buying into these and others on my watch list if the stock market sell-off continues. 

 

Happy investing everyone!

 

 

2 Apr 2020:

 

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +34% STOCK MARKET: -22%

 

Wow! What a year it has been so far! My correction & bear market strategy is working wonderfully. I developed this strategy after getting crushed in the 2000-2002 dot com bubble as did most everyone else. It helped a lot during the 2007-2009 financial crisis. But since then I have tweaked it quite a bit and the results have been astounding. Now, part of that probably involved a bit of luck, because the percentages I selected for using this strategy would have created different results had the overall markets not cooperated as much as they have. But they did and here we are! 

 

This is my 3rd best year so far since the 2007-2009 financial crisis. My record year was 2015 in which I earned a 73% gain (which is about a 10 year gain on average). My second best year was 2012 when I earned a 43% gain (which is about a 6 year gain on average).

 

I really can’t say this loud enough: What we are experiencing now is a once-in-a-decade opportunity for anyone interested in being an investor and you don’t have to be very precise. Just select stocks from quality companies which have been beaten down. I am going to continue trying to capitalize on this beaten down market. I have been doing a lot of research and have a watch list of potential buying opportunities. Recently, I bought into the oil and gas sector which has paid off tremendously and have also bought into some international markets.

 

Always remember there is opportunity no matter which direction the stock markets go: up or down. If the markets go up, then I’ll just hold tight and capitalize on the gains. If the markets go down, then I will roll into some of the potential buying opportunities I have on my watch list which I update fairly frequently these days.

 

After today’s market close, my investment account was tracking a year-end gain of +33.7% while my year end stretch goal was +12%. This is nearly a 5-year gain (on average) in about three months and is substantially greater than the deep negative returns of each of the major market indexes such as the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (-16.6%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (-21.8%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (-25.0), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (-34.9%).

 

I started out the year using my late cycle bull market strategy which involves shorting the overall stock market and selling periodic gains and repeating this (I used the UVXY to short the market). I earned my first 13% of gains this year using this strategy which is the same strategy I used last year when I earned a 20% gain.

 

At the beginning of March, I switched things up and started using my correction & bear market strategy which involves buying into the stock market a little at a time, selling significant rallies, and then continuing to buy into the stock market until it appears to go through a bottoming process. I don’t get to use this strategy often but it has really paid off this month. I’ve earned an additional 20.7% gain using this strategy which brings my total gain for the year to 33.7%. Not bad for being only three months into the year – especially when the overall stock market indexes are deeply negative.

 

So, overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 brings.

 

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. So, use this period of social distancing to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for the rest of 2020 (and beyond!).

 

 

25 Mar 2020:

 

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +28% STOCK MARKET: -23%

 

I am continuing to buy the declines in the stock market and selling the rallies but plan to buy and hold once the market settles down a bit.  After today’s market close, my investment account was tracking a year-end gain of +28% while my year end stretch goal was +12%. This is about a 4-year gain (on average) in about three months and is substantially greater than the deep negative returns of each of the major market indexes such as the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (-17.7%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (-23.4%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (-25.7), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (-33.5%).

 

I started out the year using my late cycle bull market strategy which involves shorting the overall stock market and selling periodic gains and repeating this (I used the UVXY to short the market). I earned my first 13% of gains this year using this strategy which is the same strategy I used last year when I earned a 20% gain.

 

At the beginning of March, I switched things up and started using my correction & bear market strategy which involves buying into the stock market a little at a time, selling significant rallies, and then continuing to buy into the stock market until it appears to go through a bottoming process. I don’t get to use this strategy often but it has really paid off this month. I’ve earned an additional 14.7% gain using this strategy which brings my total gain for the year to 27.7%. Not bad for being only three months into the year – especially when the overall stock market indexes are deeply negative.

 

So, overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 brings.

 

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. So, use this period of social distancing to your advantage by gaining this knowledge and learning these skills and techniques (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

 

Make it your goal to learn these investment techniques so that you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for the rest of 2020 (and beyond!).

 

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +20% STOCK MARKET: -22%

I am continuing to buy the dips in the stock market and selling the rallies. I plan to buy and hold once the market starts settling down a bit.  Due to the bear market we’re in anytime the market significantly rallies I sell some shares in anticipation I might be able to buy again at lower prices. After today’s market close, my investment account is tracking a year-end gain of +20.0% while my year end stretch goal was +12%. This is about a 3 year gain (on average) in about two and a half months.

Prior to this month (March), I was shorting the market by buying a volatility ETF (UVXY) which typically gains when the major stock market indexes fall but once the markets started falling by so much I reversed my position and started buying into the market at times and then selling the rallies. Once the markets settle down a bit I plan to buy and hold for a while.

My investment account is tracking an EOY gain of +20.0% which is substantially greater than the negative returns of each of the major market indexes such as the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (-18.3%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (-21.7%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (-21.4), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (-33.7%).

Overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 brings.

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 (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

So make it a goal to learn these investment techniques so you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for the rest of 2020 (and beyond!).

 

16 Mar 2020:

 

I haven’t been a long term “buy and hold” investor in years but I believe I am about to become one. Anyone with cash on the sidelines might want to think about starting to buy into this market – A market which has dropped 30% from it’s recent high. Years from now you’ll probably be glad you did.

 

I was fully cashed out at the beginning of March but am now about 25% invested and will grow that over time if the stock market keeps dropping. These kinds of opportunities don’t happen very often and even though it might seem a bit painful right now it’s probably a good idea to look at buying into this.

 

In general, the stock market tends to be forward looking in that it generally declines about 6 months prior to the beginning of a recession and starts to recover about 6 months prior to the end of a recession. I think we will have a very short recovery time for this one.

 

Happy Investing everyone! 🙂

 

16 Mar 2020:

 

The most important lesson I ever learned about investing was during the 2000-2002 dot com bubble. And that lesson is what made me a highly successful investor today. And what was that lesson? Well, I read an article which said that when the stock market falls 50%, then it has to gain 100% to break even. What? That sounded like faulty math to me. But once I did the numbers I realized it was true! And if the stock market falls more than that it gets even worse! If it falls 67% then it has to gain 200% and if it falls 75% then it has to gain 300% to break even. During the worst stock market decline since the 1900s, the Great Depression in 1929, the stock market fell 89%. So, the market had to gain 800% to break even. That’s why it took so long for stocks to recover.

 

This lesson taught me, that once you start accumulating a substantial amount of money in the stock market you have to play defense such that you protect your gains. Because a heavily falling stock market can decimate your life savings quickly. So, if any of you were fully invested during the current downturn, don’t be upset, simply learn the lesson I did and put it to good use in the future. If you do this you will succeed as an investor.

 

Happy Investing everyone! 🙂

 

14 Mar 2020:

 

A lot of people are freaking out about the stock market right now. Many of them have probably been taking far too much risk and are now seeing the downside of that. For example, if the stock market drops 50% then it has to gain 100% just to break even. You have to accept responsibility and learn from it and make adjustments in the future to improve performance.

 

The 2000-2002 dot com bubble was my first “wake up” call in this regard. So, I learned that hard lesson and adjusted my strategies. It turned out to be a valuable lesson in retrospect because I reached my financial goals much sooner than planned. When the 2007-2009 financial crisis hit I did much better but still lost quite a bit although not as much as most people. So, I refined my strategies again.

 

So, if you were getting fairly close to reaching your financial goals and found you’ve been taking too much risk, well, learn this valuable lesson now and make adjustments for the future and it will help you tremendously. If you are a long distance from reaching your financial goals then you can probably just relax, ride it out, keep buying into it, and be okay. But do file away this lesson for the future and remember to reduce your risk as you begin approaching your financial goals.

 

10 Mar 2020:

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +15% STOCK MARKET: -11%

I’ve been buying the dips in the stock market lately and selling the rallies. I’m positioning for a potential bear market so anytime the market rallies I sell in anticipation I might be able to buy again at lower prices. After today’s market close, my investment account is tracking a year-end gain of 15% while my year end stretch goal was 12%. This is over a 2 year gain (on average) in just over 2 months.

Prior to this month (March), I was shorting the market by buying a volatility ETF (UVXY) which typically gains when the major stock market indexes fall but once the markets started falling by so much I reversed my position and started buying into the market at times and then selling the rallies. Once the markets settle down a bit I might buy and hold for a while.

My investment account is tracking an EOY gain of +14.6% which is substantially greater than the negative returns of each of the major market indexes such as the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (-7.0%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (-10.8%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (-12.3%), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (-19.0%).

Overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 brings.

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 (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

So make it a goal to learn these investment techniques so you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for the rest of 2020 (and beyond!).

 

4 Mar 2020:

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +13% STOCK MARKET: -3%

I decided to sell the market rally today and am now completely out of the stock market. After today’s market close, my investment account is tracking a year-end gain of 13% while my year end stretch goal was 12%. This is about a 2 year gain (on average) in just over 2 months.

I was shorting the market by buying a volatility ETF (UVXY) which typically gains when the major stock market indexes fall but once the markets started falling by so much I reversed my position and started betting with the market.

My investment account is tracking an EOY gain of +12.9% which is substantially greater than the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (+0.5%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (-3.1%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (-5.1%), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (-8.2%).

Overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 brings.

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 (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/published-books-and-life-coaching-services/).

So make it a goal to learn these investment techniques so you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for the rest of 2020 (and beyond!).

 

24 Feb 2020:

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +11%   STOCK MARKET: 0%

Wow! After today’s market close, my investment account is tracking a year-end gain of 11% while my year end stretch goal was 12%! This is about a 1.5 year gain (on average) in just under 2 months! Back in August, I started shorting the market by buying a volatility ETF (UVXY) which typically gains when the major stock market indexes fall. It’s been a losing bet for the most part, but I kept buying more and selling here and there on periodic rallies. Well, today my patience really paid off! The UVXY gained 28% (or 47% over 3 days if you include Thursday’s and Friday’s gain as well)! So, I sold it all.

My investment account is tracking an EOY gain of  +11.2% which is substantially greater than the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (+2.8%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (-0.2%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (-2.0%), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (-2.4%).

Overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2020 brings.

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 (https://www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com/pricing-products-and-promotions/).

So make it a goal to learn these investment techniques so you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for the rest of 2020 (and beyond!).

31 Dec 2019

FINAL SCORE =>>> JOE: +20% STOCK MARKET: +29%

My investment account had a year-end gain of 20% while my year-end stretch goal was 12%. This is about a 3 year gain (on average) in a single year. I’m actually surprised I did this well being that I’ve been shorting the market all year (February, July, and late September) by buying a volatility ETF (UVXY) which typically gains when the major stock market indexes fall. It’s usually a losing bet for several weeks at a time, but I generally keep buying more during the decline awaiting a spike to happen.

My patience really paid off the first two times – I was up 29% in the months of August and September. However, the end-of-year stretch hasn’t been rewarding as of yet. But I’m still buying into it so we’ll see what happens in 2020.

I’m truly amazed I didn’t go negative for the year. Usually when you short a market that gains as much as 29%, you lose a whole lot of money. In fact, if I would have bought the UVXY at the beginning of the year and held it until the end I would have lost 83%! The key is good timing and strong discipline.

So, this is the first year in a very long time that I have fallen behind the major stock market indices. But that’s part of investing and it could have been much worse. Here’s what the year-end gains were for each of the major stock market indexes: 35.2% for the Nasdaq, 28.9% for the S&P 500, 23.8% for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, and 24.0% for the Russell 2000.

Overall, it was a pretty good investment year for me. We’ll see what 2020 brings.

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

Make it a goal to learn these investment techniques so you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better over the years and given up the day job years earlier if I had learned this stuff years ago. I wish you much investing success for 2020 (and beyond!).

5 Aug 2019:

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +29%   STOCK MARKET: +13%

Wow! As of today, my investment account is tracking an end of year gain of 29% while my year end stretch goal was 12%. This is about a 4 year gain (on average) in just over 7 months! Back in July, I started shorting the market again (I did this previously back in February) by buying a volatility ETF (UVXY) which typically gains when the major stock market indexes fall. It was a losing bet for the first few weeks, but I kept buying more. Well, over the past few days my patience really paid off. The UVXY gained 55% since 29 July including today’s 21% gain! So, I sold part of it on Friday and the rest today.

The 29% end of year gain my investment account is tracking is currently more than twice as much as most of the other major indices:  the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain is presently 16.4%, the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain is presently 13.5%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain is presently 10.3%, and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain is presently 10.3%.

So, overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2019 brings.

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 (https://www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com/pricing-products-and-promotions/).

Make it a goal to learn these investment techniques so you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for the rest of 2019 (and beyond!).

7 May 2019:

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +23%   STOCK MARKET: 15%

Wow! Since 1 Jan my investment account has earned 23.3% while my year end stretch goal was 12%! This is well over a 3 year gain (on average) in just over 4 months! Back in February, I started shorting the market by buying a volatility ETF (UVXY) which typically gains when the major stock market indexes fall. It’s been a losing bet for the most part, but I kept buying more and selling here and there on periodic rallies. Well, today my patience really paid off! The UVXY gained 25% (or 35% if you include yesterday’s gain as well)! So, I sold it all!

My investment account earned +23.3% which is substantially greater than the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (20.0%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (15.1%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (11.3%), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (17.3%).

Overall, this has been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2019 brings. If I do nothing else but leave the cash in my Ally online savings account I will earn about 1.6% in interest by year end resulting in a year-end gain of 25% which is well over a 3 year gain on average. Not bad.

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 (https://www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com/pricing-products-and-promotions/).

So make it a goal to learn these investment techniques so you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success for the rest of 2019 (and beyond!).

24 Jan 2019:

INTERIM SCORE =>>> JOE: +13%   STOCK MARKET: 5%

Since 1 Jan my investment account has earned 13% while my year end stretch goal was 12%! This is about a 2 year gain (on average) in just 3 weeks! Time to SELL, SELL, SELL (and wait)! Anything that gains that much in such a short time can also lose that much in as much time!

My investment account earned +13.0% which is substantially greater than the Nasdaq index’s year-to-date gain (6.6%), the S&P 500 index’s year-to-date gain (5.4%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-to-date gain (5.3%), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-to-date gain (8.6%). So, overall, this has already been a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what the rest of 2019 brings. If I do nothing else but leave the cash in my Ally online savings account I will earn about 2% in interest and my year-end gain will be 15% which is more than a 2 year gain on average. Not bad.

You can beat all of the major stock market indexes and fund managers as well by learning about 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 (https://www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com/pricing-products-and-promotions/).

So make one of your 2019 resolutions to learn these investment techniques so you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success in 2019.

 

31 Dec 2018:

FINAL SCORE =>>> JOE: +14%   STOCK MARKET: -6%

So… The results are now officially in. I was able to beat each of the major stock market indexes in 2018 by pretty wide margins. I probably also substantially beat most – if not all – fund managers in 2018. I took a more cautious approach to the stock market this year given the 10 year bull market stretched to became the longest in history. Had I not taken this approach, I might have ended up going negative for the year. 

So, overall, I had a good year in the stock market – especially when considering the volatility experienced both early in the year and late in the year. My investment account earned +13.5% which is nearly a 2 year gain on average. This was substantially greater than the Nasdaq index’s year-end loss (-3.9%), the S&P 500 index’s year-end loss (-6.2%), the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-end loss (-5.6%), and the Russell 2000 index’s year-end loss (-12.2%). So, overall, this was a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what 2019 brings.

You can beat all of the major stock market indexes and fund managers as well by learning about 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 (https://brighterdayslifecoaching.com/pricing-products-and-promotions/).  

So make one of your 2019 resolutions to learn these investment techniques so you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success in 2019.

 

30 Dec 2016:

FINAL SCORE =>>> JOE: 22%   STOCK MARKET: 9%

So… The results are now officially in. I was able to beat each of the major stock market indexes in 2016 by pretty wide margins. I probably also substantially beat most, if not all, fund managers in 2016; probably even more-so when considering last year’s (2015) and this year’s (2016) gains combined (I had my record year in 2015 of 73%).

I had a good year in the stock market; especially when considering the volatility experienced throughout the year due to Brexit, the oil industry, the fed, and the elections (among other things). My investment accounts earned 22.3% which is a little over a 3 year gain on average. This was substantially greater than the Nasdaq index’s year-end gain of 7.5%, the S&P 500 index’s year-end gain of 9.5%, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year-end gain of 13.4%. So, overall, this was a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what 2017 brings.

You can beat all of the major stock market indexes and fund managers as well by learning about my investing techniques via my “Invest Like a Pro in 10 Minutes a Day!” series of books.  

Book One of this series can be purchased at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MDMFGF7?ref_=pe_870760_118561140

 

Book Two of this series can be purchased at: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N97QMD7/ref=sr_1_6?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1479874760&sr=1-6&keywords=invest+like+a+pro

So make one of your 2017 resolutions to learn these investment techniques so you can progress towards achieving the financial freedom and independence you’ve always dreamed of. I would have done so much better if I had learned this stuff years ago! I wish you much investing success in 2017.

5 Jul 2016:

Today, I sold my shares of Seaworld (SEAS) for a small gain. It still has a lot of room to run, but the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at are much more favorable towards other stocks I am tracking such as Colony Capital, Inc (CLNY). So I decided to sell SEAS in favor of buying CLNY.

I’ve done extremely well this year so far, earning 31.2% across my investment accounts. This is just over a four year gain on average in nearly six months. In contrast, some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, have gained about 2% or more since the beginning of the year. So 2016 has been an extremely good year for me so far.

Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

If you would like to review my history of investment activities which got me to where I am today please go to: https://www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities. I generally update my historical investment activities once every couple of months or so.

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on my website at www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on Twitter if you like at https://twitter.com/BrighterDaysLC

#investing #stocks #seas #clny

 

27 Jun 2016:

Well, the next compelling opportunity came today. I had a nice break while it lasted. So now I am officially back in the stock market. Today, I bought shares of Seaworld (SEAS) which has been getting pummeled over the past few weeks. The risk-reward indicators that I generally look at are highly favorable towards this stock. If nothing else, it should be good for a near term bounce. Plus it pays a nice 6% annual dividend.

I’ve done extremely well this year so far, earning 31% across my investment accounts. This is just over a four year gain on average in nearly six months. In contrast, some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, have lost about 2% or more since the beginning of the year. So 2016 has been an extremely good year for me so far.

Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

If you would like to review my history of investment activities which got me to where I am today please go to: https://www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities. I generally update my historical investment activities once every couple of months or so.

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on my website at www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on Twitter if you like at https://twitter.com/BrighterDaysLC

#investing #stocks #seas

 

12 Jun 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I sold my remaining volatility shares (i.e., the UVXY ETN) which leaped over 30% today and am now completely out of the stock market!

I’ve done extremely well this year so far, earning 30% across my investment accounts. This is just over a four year gain on average in just over five months. In contrast, some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, have only gained about 1.5% or less since the beginning of the year. So 2016 has been an extremely good year for me so far.

I am now going to take a break from the stock market for a while and wait patiently for the next compelling investment opportunity to come along.

Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

If you would like to review my history of investment activities which got me to where I am today please go to: https://www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities. I generally update my historical investment activities once every month or so.

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on my website at www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on Twitter if you like at https://twitter.com/BrighterDaysLC

#investing #stocks #uvxy
9 Jun 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I sold pretty much all of my volatility shares (i.e., the UVXY ETN) which leaped 20% today! The UVXY and similar ETFs/ETNs position for a rise in the volatility index (VIX) and a decline of the overall stock market. It’s very difficult to earn gains on volatility type investments so, unless you’re a highly experienced investor, you might want to avoid these. For example, the UVXY declined 20%, as of the recent low, from the time I bought it. However, I kept buying into it on the way down which really paid off today.

I’ve done extremely well this year so far, earning 29% across my investment accounts! This is just over a four year gain on average in just over five months! In contrast, some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, have only gained about 2.5% or less since the beginning of the year. So 2016 has been an extremely good year for me so far. My average gain per year since 2010 has been 35% which is about a 5 year gain (on average) for each and every year since then. So, I’ve nearly reached my annual average in only five months for 2016. It’s time to sell, take a break, and wait patiently for the next compelling investment opportunity. So that’s what I’m doing.

Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

If you would like to review my history of investment activities which got me to where I am today please go to: https://www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com/stock-market-activities. I generally update my historical investment activities once every month or so.

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on my website at www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on Twitter if you like at https://twitter.com/BrighterDaysLC

#investing #stocks #uvxy

7 Jun 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I sold my remaining shares of Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP (CLMT) which jumped nearly 20%.

So the only shares I’m currently holding is the UVXY ETN which positions for a rise in the volatility index (VIX) and a decline of the overall stock market. It’s very difficult to earn gains on volatility type investments so, unless you’re a highly experienced investor, you might want to avoid these.

Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on my website at www.brighterdayslifecoaching.com for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

31 May 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I sold some more of my shares of Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP (CLMT) which jumped 10%. I’ve done extremely well this year so far gaining about 24%, which is nearly a 3.5 year gain on average in just five months, while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, have only gained about 2.5% or less.

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #clmt

27 May 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I sold some of my shares of Calumet Specialty Products Partners LP (CLMT) which has surged nearly 15% over the past couple of days. I also bought shares of the UVXY ETN which positions for a rise in the volatility index (VIX) and a decline of the overall stock market. It’s very difficult to earn gains on volatility type investments so, unless you’re a highly experienced investor, you might want to avoid these. It’s taken quite a bit of patience with CLMT which had declined 38% from the time I bought it as of the recent low. I kept buying into it on the way down which is now finally starting to pay off.

I’ve done extremely well this year so far gaining about 20%, which is nearly a three year gain on average in just five months, while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, have only gained about 3% or less.

Either way that things go, regarding CLMT or the UVXY ETN, I have a plan. If they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell, but if they decline significantly then I’ll look to buy. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #clmt #uvxy

29 Apr 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I sold much of my shares of the UVXY ETN which positions for a rise in the volatility index (VIX) and a decline of the overall stock market. It’s very difficult to earn gains on volatility type investments so, unless you’re a highly experienced investor, you might want to avoid these. With strong discipline and patience, however, they can really pay off. For example, the UVXY ETN lost 46% as of the recent low since the time I first bought it, but I kept aggressively buying into it on the way down and it sharply rallied over the past couple of days; resulting in substantial gains. As of the high today it jumped about 30% over the past two days.

I’ve done extremely well this year so far gaining 20%, which is nearly a three year gain on average in just four months, while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, have only gained about 1% or less. If I end the year at this level then it will be the third year in a row where I’ve earned 20% or more. I’ve earned over 15% per year over the past five years and my average gain per year over the past five years is 34.6% which is about a five year gain on average. So, the techniques I’m using have been working extremely well.

Here’s a summary of the most recent results in case you have interest:

2016 Year to Date: 20% gain vs S&P 500’s 1.1% gain

2015: 73% gain vs S&P 500’s 1% loss… This was my record year… My previous record was a 43% gain back in 2012

2014: 21% gain vs S&P 500’s 11% gain

Either way that things go, regarding the UVXY ETN, I have a plan. If it continues to rise over the next few days then I’ll look to sell my remaining shares, but if it declines significantly then I might use the freed up cash to buy at the lower levels. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #uvxy

18 April 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of Calumet Specialty Products Partners (CLMT) and more shares of the UVXY ETN which positions for an increase in the Volatility Index (VIX) and an overall decline in the stock markets. CLMT dropped over 50% today primarily due to suspending its 25%+ dividend. I was expecting this to happen at some point given that dividends above 5% are generally not sustainable. I’m just glad I sold the shares I had a few weeks ago before this happened. I had put in an advance buy order to purchase CLMT for a ridiculously low price of 20% below Friday’s closing price, but it dropped much more during the pre-market today so I cancelled that order and bought during the pre-market for an even more ridiculously low price. Sometimes that happens. Each of these shares have dropped considerably and the risk-reward indicators are highly favorable so I decided to buy.

Either way things go in the future on the shares I bought today I have a plan. If any of these fall significantly I’ll look to buy, but if any of them rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #clmt #uvxy

5 Apr 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I sold most of my remaining shares of the UVXY ETN which positions for a rise in the volatility index (VIX) and a decline of the overall stock market. It’s very difficult to earn gains on volatility type investments so, unless you’re a highly experienced investor, you might want to avoid these. With strong discipline and patience, however, they can really pay off. For example, the UVXY ETN lost 29% as of the recent low since the time I first bought it, but I kept aggressively buying into it on the way down and it sharply rallied over the past couple of days; resulting in substantial gains.

I’ve done extremely well this year so far gaining 18.7% across my investment accounts, which is well over a two year gain on average in just over three months, while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, are essentially flat; not earning anything year to date.

Either way that things go, regarding the UVXY ETN, I have a plan. If it continues to rise over the next few days then I’ll look to sell my remaining shares, but if it declines significantly then I might use the freed up cash to buy at the lower levels. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #uvxy

24 Mar 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I sold my shares of Unisys (UIS) and some of my shares of the UVXY ETN which positions for a rise in the volatility index (VIX) and a decline of the overall stock market. I’ve done extremely well this year so far gaining 15.6% across my investment accounts, which is over a two year gain on average in less than three months, while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, have lost 0.4% or more.

UIS still has plenty of room to run, but I thought I’d free up cash to take advantage of potentially more favorable investment opportunities becoming available. The UVXY was initially looking like a losing trade, which lost 18% as of the recent low since the time I first bought it, but I kept aggressively buying into it on the way down and it sharply rallied over the past couple of days so I thought it would be wise to cash in on some of those gains as well. If it continues to rise over the next few days then I’ll look to sell some more, but if it declines significantly then I can use the freed up cash to buy at the lower levels. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #uvxy #uis

16 Mar 2016:

So, after about a two week break I decided to get back into the stock market a tiny bit. Today, I bought a few shares of the UVXY ETN which positions for a rise in the volatility index (VIX) and a decline of the overall stock market. I also bought Unisys (UIS) a couple of days ago.

Either way things go in the future I have a plan. If either of these stocks fall significantly then I’ll look to buy more, but if either of them rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #uvxy #uis

6 Mar 2016: So… I’ve done it! I’ve reached and exceeded my retirement goal which means next year I will seek to negotiate a part time schedule at work. All of this investing experience has paid off and I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels to achieve financial freedom at last! I have one more financial goal that I am seeking to reach which is why I want to continue working part time next year. Once I achieve that it’ll be “Bye bye working world and paycheck dependency!” If I knew what I know about investing years ago I would have experienced this financial freedom years ago! Have a happy Sunday everyone! I know that I sure will!

2 Mar 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I went on another selling spree. I sold everything I had: ConocoPhilips (COP), Fifth Street Finance (FSC), and Calumet Specialty Products Partners (CLMT). Some of these still have plenty of room to run, but as of today I have earned a 15% gain which is about a two year gain on average in just two months. So I decided to sell everything and wait patiently for new compelling opportunities to emerge. I am going to take a nice break from the stock market at least for a little while. So catch me if you can. Comparatively speaking, I’ve done extremely well so far this year gaining the 15% I mentioned overall while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, have lost nearly 3% or more.

Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #fsc #clmt #cop

1 Mar 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I went on another selling spree. I sold my shares of Citigroup (C), General Motors (GM), Pfizer (PFE) and some of my shares of ConocoPhilips (COP). Again, I’m not seeing any sell signals, but I wanted to reduce my risk a bit by freeing up cash so that I can position myself to take advantage of any future compelling opportunities which might come available. I’m currently about 50% invested in stocks and 50% in cash. I’ve done pretty well so far this year gaining 12% overall while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, have lost about 3% or more.

Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#stocks #investing #c #gm #pfe #cop

29 Feb 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I sold some of my shares of Fifth Street Finance (FSC) and some more shares of Calumet Specialty Products Partners (CLMT). I’m not seeing any sell signals, but wanted to reduce my risk a bit. I’m currently about 74% invested in stocks and 26% in cash. I’ve done pretty well so far this year gaining 12% overall while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, have lost about 5.5% or more.

Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #fsc #clmt

26 Feb 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I sold my shares of Marathon Oil Corp (MRO), Mosaic (MOS), Ford Motor Company (F), and about half of my shares of Calumet Specialty Products Partners (CLMT). Those who have been following me probably recall that I sold my shares of MRO just a couple of weeks ago for a 20% gain. I then bought MRO again when it sharply declined and sold it today for a 15% gain (a 35% total gain between the two which is about a five year gain on average over just a couple of weeks!). I wish all of my investment decisions were that good! Regarding CLMT I started buying that one over a week ago and it lost 33% before it bottomed a couple of days ago and I kept aggressively buying the stock on the way down transforming that 33% initial loss into a 3% gain over a much larger position since I kept aggressively buying into it. 3% isn’t much, but it’s one heck of a lot better than a loss of 33%. These are examples of why it takes strong discipline, patience, and solid strategies to be a decent investor.

I’m currently about 89% invested in stocks and 11% in cash. I’ve done pretty well so far this year gaining 11.4% overall while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, have lost about 5% or more. If my stocks remain at this level at the end of the year then I should have about a 14% gain due to the dividend payments alone. We’ll see how things go.

Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #mro #mos #f #clmt

19 Feb 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I sold my shares of the XIV ETN and Tableau Software (DATA) each of which earned decent gains. I also bought more shares of Calumet Specialty Products Partners (CLMT) and Fifth Street Finance (FSC). Both of these stocks have dropped considerably and the risk-reward indicators continue to be highly favorable. I’m currently about 98% invested in stocks and 2% in cash.

Either way things go in the future on the stocks I continued to buy today I have a plan. If either of these fall significantly I’ll look to buy more, but if any of these rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #xiv #data #clmt #fsc

18 Feb 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of Calumet Specialty Products Partners (CLMT) and Marathon Oil Corporation (MRO). Both of these stocks have dropped considerably and the risk-reward indicators are highly favorable. I’m currently about 79% invested in stocks and 21% in cash.

Either way things go in the future on the stocks I bought today I have a plan. If any of these fall significantly I’ll look to buy, but if any of them rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #clmt #mro

17 Feb 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I did some more selling. I sold my shares of Pier 1 Exports (PIR) and Sunoco Logistics Partners (SXL) ~ each of which earned about 20%. These stocks still have room to run as I’m only seeing weak sell signals, but I like to cash in on good gains when I get them. I’m currently about 70% invested in stocks and 30% in cash. I’ve done pretty well so far this year gaining a little over 7% overall while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, have lost about 6% or more.

Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #pir #sxl

16 Feb 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I sold my shares of Sun Edision (SUNE) which jumped over 20% today which is about a three year gain on average in a single day! So that speculation play really worked out and I quickly sold! I’m currently about 85% invested in stocks and 15% in cash. I’ve done pretty well so far this year gaining a little over 3.5% overall while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, have lost 7% or more. If my stocks remain at this level at the end of the year then I should have about a 7% gain due to the dividend payments alone. We’ll see how things go.

Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #sune

12 Feb 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I sold my shares of Schnitzer Steel (SCHN) which jumped over 10% and sold some of my shares of Pier 1 Imports (PIR) which jumped about 8% during the market day. As a purely speculative play, I went ahead and bought Sun Edision (SUNE) which dropped over 30% today and has now become what is known as a penny stock which these days commonly refer to stocks that sell for $2.00 or less. I usually don’t like to buy penny stocks, because of the large transaction fees meaning that I have to earn about 2.5% or so just to break even. However, the upside potential for this stock is huge and the risk-reward indicators that I frequently look at are highly favorable.

I’m currently about 84% invested in stocks and 16% in cash. As always, either way things go in the future on the stock I bought today I have a plan. If SUNE falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #schn #pir #sune

11 Feb 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of the XIV ETN which positions for a decrease in volatility and a rise in the overall stock market. I also bought more shares of Fifth Street Finance Corp (FSC) and Pier 1 Imports (PIR). Each of these appear to be attractive based on some of the risk-reward indicators I look at. When I track various stocks I like to group them by industry so that I can determine the best in group opportunities. For example, I had initially planned to buy more shares of Citigroup (C) today, but after looking at some of the other alternatives concluded that FSC appeared to offer a better opportunity than C out of the banking and finance related stocks that I track. As such, I changed my initial plan. If you group your stocks in a similar fashion you will be able to do the same. The XIV ETN is something that I typically only buy when volatility approaches extremely high levels and has a strong likelihood of declining which is what many of the indicators that I looked at today are signaling. We’ll see how things go.

I’m currently about 87% invested in stocks and 13% in cash. I’ve been aggressively buying stocks lately to position for an eventual rebound in the stock market. Some of the indicators that I look at are signaling that a significant rally might begin within the next couple of days. I’m hopeful that it does, but if not the dividend payments should help to mitigate any additional downside risk since I’ve been primarily investing in dividend stocks this year.

Either way things go in the future on the stocks I bought today I have a plan. If any of these fall significantly I’ll look to buy, but if any of them rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #fsc #pir #xiv

10 Feb 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of Fifth Street Finance Corp (FSC) and more shares of Sunoco Logistics Partners (SXL). Each of which appear to be attractive based on some of the risk-reward indicators. I’m currently about 79% invested in stocks and 21% in cash.

Either way things go in the future on the stocks I bought today I have a plan. If any of these fall significantly I’ll look to buy, but if any of them rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #fsc #sxl

8 Feb 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of Sunoco Logistics Partners (SXL) and bought more shares of Tableau Software (DATA) and Citigroup. Each of which appear to be attractive based on some of the risk-reward indicators. I’m currently about 73% invested in stocks and 27% in cash. I’ve done pretty well so far this year gaining a little over 1.5% while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, have lost 9% or more. Today my portfolio actually went up while the overall stock markets fell sharply. So things are going well so far. If my stocks remain at this level at the end of the year then I should have about a 4% gain due to the dividend payments alone.

Either way things go in the future on the stocks I bought today I have a plan. If any of these fall significantly I’ll look to buy, but if any of them rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #sxl #data #c

5 Feb 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of Pfizer (PFE), Tableau Software (DATA), and more shares of ConocoPhillips (COP). Each of which appear to be fairly attractive based on some of the risk-reward indicators. DATA fell 50% today on a poor earnings report, but it looked a bit overdone so I decided to buy purely for speculative purposes. I’m currently about 64% invested in stocks and 36% in cash. I’ve done pretty well so far this year gaining a little over 1% while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500 have lost over 8%.

I’m employing different strategies this year than I did last year. I’m taking a low-to-medium risk approach to investing focused more on capital preservation and dividend paying stocks this year while last year, when I earned a 73% gain by year end, I took a medium-to-high risk approach to investing focused more on capital appreciation. Each of these strategies can work out well for you, it just depends on how much risk you decide to take. The higher the risk, the higher potential gain or loss you will experience. The lower the risk, the lower potential gain or loss you will experience. The appropriate amount of risk to take depends on the amount you presently have, your progress to date towards reaching your financial investment goals, and the associated timeframe for achieving these goals.

Either way things go in the future on the stocks I bought today I have a plan. If any of these fall significantly I’ll look to buy, but if any of them rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #pfe #data #cop

4 Feb 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I did quite a bit of selling and buying. I sold about half of my shares of Pier 1 (PIR) and all of my shares of Potash (POT). Both of these names still have room to run, but I like to sell whenever I realize substantial gains. I bought shares of Ford (F) and General Motors (GM) today which appear to be fairly attractive based on some of the risk-reward indicators. I’m currently about 47% invested in stocks and 53% in cash. I’ve done pretty well so far this year gaining a little over 2% while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500 have lost over 6%.

Either way things go in the future I have a plan. If any of these stocks fall significantly I’ll look to buy, but if any of them rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #pir #pot #f #gm

29 Jan 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I sold my shares of Marathon Oil Corporation (MRO) which have leaped 19% since I first bought them earlier this week. That’s nearly a 3 year gain, on average, over a 4 day period! MRO still has room to run, but I like to cash in on a good gain when it happens. I’m been getting into the stock market slowly this year so far. I’m currently about 50% invested in stocks and 50% in cash to date. So either way things go I’ll be able to position myself accordingly. And I’m not doing too bad this year. So far I’ve gained about 2% while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500 have lost about 5% or more. All of the stocks I have bought this year have been dividend paying stocks. So, even if my stocks remain at this level, by the end of the year, I will have earned another 2.5% or so just due to the dividend payments alone.

Either way things go in the future I have a plan. If the stock market falls significantly I’ll look to buy, but if it rises then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #mro

25 Jan 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of Marathon Oil Corporation (MRO) and Potash Corporation (POT). Each of these appear to be attractive right now in terms of the risk-reward indicators.  Either way things go on these stocks, I have a plan. If MRO or POT falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if they sharply rise then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #mro #pot

22 Jan 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of Mosaic (MOS) which appears to be attractive right now in terms of the risk-reward indicators. Either way things go in the future on this stock I have a plan. If MOS falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it sharply rises then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #mos

15 Jan 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of Citigroup (C) and additional shares of Pier 1 Imports (PIR). Each of these appear to be attractive right now in terms of the risk-reward indicators. I’ve been getting into the stock market slowly this year so far. I’m only about 25% invested in stocks and 75% in cash to date. And I’m not doing too bad this year. So far I’ve only lost about 1% while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500, have lost about 8% or more. All of the stocks I have bought this year have been dividend paying stocks. So, even if my stocks remain at this level, by the end of the year, I will have recovered my losses and earned a small gain just due to the dividend payments alone.

Either way things go in the future on the stocks I bought today, I have a plan. If C or PIR falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if they sharply rise then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #c #pir

13 Jan 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of Ford (F) and additional shares of Pier 1 Imports (PIR). Each of these appear to be attractive right now in terms of the risk-reward indicators. Either way things go in the future on these stocks I have a plan. If F or PIR falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if they sharply rise then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #f #pir

11 Jan 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of Conoco-Phillips (COP) which appears to be attractive right now in terms of the risk-reward indicators. I’m not doing too bad so far this year. So far I’ve only lost about 0.4% while some of the major indices, such as the S&P 500 have lost about 6% or more. Either way things go in the future on COP I have a plan. If COP falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it sharply rises then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #cop

8 Jan 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of Schnitzer Steel (SCHN) which appears to be attractive right now in terms of the risk-reward indicators. Either way things go in the future on this stock I have a plan. If SCHN falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it sharply rises then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #schn

7 Jan 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of Pier 1 Imports (PIR) which appears to be attractive right now in terms of the risk-reward indicators. Either way things go in the future on this stock I have a plan. If PIR falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it sharply rises then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #pir

6 Jan 2016:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of General Motors (GM) which appears to be attractive right now in terms of the risk-reward indicators. Either way things go in the future on this stock I have a plan. If GM falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it sharply rises then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #gm

31 Dec 2015:

FINAL SCORE =>>> JOE: 73%   STOCK MARKET: -1%

So… The results are now officially in. I was able to substantially beat each of the major stock market indexes in 2015; most of which lost money over the past year. I probably also substantially beat most, if not all, fund managers in 2015; probably even more-so when considering last year’s (2014) and this year’s (2015) gains combined. It appears that only a handful of fund managers outperformed the S&P 500 Index (SPX) and earned less than 10% by the end of 2015. Ackman from Pershing Square was showing a 40% gain a few months ago, but ended up going significantly negative by the end of the year.

I’ve had a record year in the stock market this year; earning 72.6%; nearly doubling my previous record (~43% back in 2012) and nearly quadrupling last year’s gains (~21% for 2014). So, things have really gone well this year. My personal investment account earned the 72.6% indicated above while my much smaller Roth IRA account (which is subject to more stringent rules, such as no margin and more stringent buying and selling rules, making investing a bit more challenging) earned 47.2%. Between the two I collectively earned a 63.3% gain, which is a 9 year gain on average, and was substantially greater than the Russell 2000 index’s year end gain of -5.9%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year end gain of -2.2%, and the S&P 500 index’s gain of -0.7%. So, overall, this was a highly successful investment year for me. We’ll see what 2016 brings, but I plan to invest more conservatively so as not to risk losing this gain. I wish you much investing success in 2016!

29 Dec 2015:

Today, in the stock market, I sold my shares of Pier 1 (PIR) and XIV. So now I am completely out of the stock market and will patiently await new compelling opportunities in 2016 before starting to buy again. I’ve had a record year in the stock market this year; earning 72.6%; nearly doubling my previous record (~43% back in 2012) and nearly quadrupling last year’s gains (~21% for 2014). So, things have really gone well this year. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #pir #xiv

23 Dec 2015:

Today, in the stock market, I sold my shares of ArcelorMittal (MT) and Conoco-Phillips (COP). Both of which leaped higher today. I’ve had a record year in the stock market this year. So, things have really gone well this year and I’m looking for solid opportunities to sell to lock in these gains. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #mt #cop

22 Dec 2015:

Today, in the stock market, I sold my shares of Kennametal (KMT). After looking at the numbers a little closer it appears that this stock was not as favorable as I initially thought in terms of the risk-reward indicators. So I was happy to get out with a decent gain. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #kmt

18 Dec 2015:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of Conoco Phillips (COP) which appears to be highly favorable right now in terms of the risk-reward indicators. Either way things go in the future on this stock I have a plan. If COP falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it sharply rises then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #cop

17 Dec 2015:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of Kennametal (KMT) and Pier 1 Imports (PIR). Both of these appear to be highly favorable right now in terms of the risk-reward indicators. Either way things go in the future on these stocks I have a plan. If KMT or PIR falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if they sharply rise then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #pir #kmt

11 Dec 2015:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of the XIV ETN which positions for a decrease in the volatility index (VIX) and an increase in the overall stock markets. I also bought shares of Arcelormittal (MT). Either way things go in the future on these shares I have a plan. If XIV or MT falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if they sharply rise then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #xiv #mt

24 Nov 2015:

Wow! Sun Edison (SUNE) jumped over 40% today so I sold all my shares! It had dropped 60% since I first started buying it on 9 Nov, but I kept buying into it on the way down via my price averaging technique. So I was able transform a substantial loss into a substantial gain. I am now completely out of the stock market and am going to just enjoy the break until the next compelling opportunity comes. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #sune #fos

17 Nov 2015:

I sold XIV and sold Pier 1 Imports (PIR) in favor of buying shares of Fossil Group, Inc (FOS) which looked better from a risk-reward standpoint. I also bought more shares of Sun Edison (SUNE) which has been getting hammered lately. Either way things go in the future on these shares I have a plan. If FOS or SUNE falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if they sharply rise then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #sune #fos

13 Nov 2015:

Today, I bought Pier 1 Imports (PIR) and XIV which positions for a decrease in volatility and a rise in the overall stock market. Either way things go in the future on these shares I have a plan. If PIR or XIV falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if they sharply rise then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #pir #xiv

12 Nov 2015:

Today, I sold my volatility shares (UVXY) which jumped over 20% since I bought it. I’ve also been buying Sun Edison (SUNE) over the past few days which looks highly favorable right now via the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at. Either way things go in the future on these shares I have a plan. If SUNE falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it sharply rises then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #sune

2 Nov 2015:

Well, It was a nice break while it lasted… Today, after about a month break, I decided to get back into the stock market by buying some volatility shares (UVXY) which positions for an increase in volatility and a decline in the overall stock market. UVXY looks highly favorable right now via the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at. Either way things go in the future on these shares I have a plan. If UVXY falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it sharply rises then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #uvxy

8 Oct 2015:

The stock market rose again today so I sold everything I had left and am now 100% in cash: XIV (positions for a decline in volatility and an overall stock market increase), Pier 1 Imports (PIR), and Mosaic (MOS). Again, there’s no compelling reason to sell since typically this is the time to buy, and not sell stocks, from a seasonality perspective, other than to hold on to the 50.0% gain I’ve collectively earned across my investment accounts year to date. It’s been one heck of a year so far and it’ll be nice to take a short break from the stock market.

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #xiv #pir #mos

7 Oct 2015:

Well, the stock market jumped again today so I pretty much sold everything I had: XIV (positions for a decline in volatility and an overall stock market increase), Sun Edison (SUNE), U.S. Steel (X), Unisys (UIS), and IWM ( index fund which tracks the Russell 2000). I am now about 5% in the stock market and 95% in cash. The only stocks I’m currently holding are: Mosaic (MOS), Pier 1 Exports (PIR), and a few shares of XIV. Now, typically this is about the time to buy, and not sell stocks, from a seasonality perspective, but I’ve done so well this year I thought it would be wise to simply cash out and wait for the next compelling buy opportunity. Year to date, my investment accounts have collectively earned a 49.7% gain, which happens to be nearly a 7 year gain in only 9 months, while the major indices such as the S&P 500 Index (SPX) has lost 3.1% in that time. So it’s been an unbelievable year so far!

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #sune #xiv #x #uis #iwm

5 Oct 2015:

Wow! The stock market took off today and I aggressively sold shares of several of my stocks: XIV (positions for a decline in volatility and an overall stock market increase), Sun Edison (SUNE), U.S. Steel (X), Unisys (UIS), and IWM ( index fund which tracks the Russell 2000). I am now about 30% in the stock market and 70% in cash. Here’s an update to my relative performance:

CURRENT SCORE =>>> JOE: 48% STOCK MARKET: -4%

So, Year to date, my investment accounts have collectively earned a 47.9% gain, which happens to be nearly a 7 year gain in only 9 months, while the major indices such as the S&P 500 Index (SPX) has lost 3.5% in that time. If I only include my personal investment account, however, and not my much smaller Roth IRA (which is subject to more stringent rules, such as no margin and more stringent buying and selling rules, making investing a bit more challenging), then I have earned a 56.1% gain while my Roth IRA has earned about 33.7% to date.We’ll see how things go from here, but what a year it has been so far!

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

#investing #stocks #sune #xiv #x #uis #iwm

3 Oct 2015:

CURRENT SCORE =>>> JOE: 42% STOCK MARKET: -5%

Year to date, as of the start of the fourth quarter, my investment accounts have collectively earned a 42.1% gain, which happens to be about a 6 year gain in only 9 months, while the major indices such as the S&P 500 Index (SPX) has lost 5.2% in that time. If I only include my personal investment account, however, and not my much smaller Roth IRA (which is subject to more stringent rules, such as no margin and more stringent buying and selling rules, making investing a bit more challenging), then I have earned a 49.8% gain while my Roth IRA has earned about 28.8% to date. So it’s been a truly phenomenal year for me. Much better than last year where I collectively earned a 17.1% gain across my investment accounts while the major indices such as the S&P 500 Index (SPX) gained 11.4%. We’ll see what the fourth quarter brings, but things are going well so far.

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

2 Oct 2015:

Today, in the stock market, I sold some of my shares of Sun Edison (SUNE) which jumped 15% today. Either way things go in the future on this stock I have a plan. If SUNE falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it sharply rises from here then I’ll look to sell mor shares. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).g

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

30 Sep 2015:

Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of Pier 1 Imports (PIR) which looks highly favorable right now via the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at. Either way things go in the future on this stock I have a plan. If PIR falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it sharply rises then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

28 Sep 2015:

Today, the stock market plunged and I bought several stocks: U.S. Steel (X), Sun Edison (SUNE), Unisys (UIS), and the IWM (index fund which tracks the Russell 2000). Each of these look highly favorable right now via the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at. Either way things go in the future on these stocks I have a plan. If X, SUNE, UIS, or IWM falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if they sharply rise then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

25 Sep 2015:

Today, in the stock market, I bought some shares of Sun Edison (SUNE) which has dropped again over the past few days and looks highly favorable right now via the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at. As with any stock I buy, either way things go in the future I have a plan. If SUNE falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it sharply rises then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

24 Sep 2015:

Today, in the stock market, I bought some shares of Mosiac (MOS) which looks highly favorable right now via the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at. Either way things go in the future on this stock I have a plan. If MOS falls significantly I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it sharply rises then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

15 Sep 2015:

Today, in the stock market, I sold some of my shares of XIV (the “anti-volatility shares I wrote about previously) which jumped 10% today and IWM (tracks the Russell 2000 Index). I didn’t get any sell signals – I just wanted to trim some positions in order to manage risk. Year to date, my investment accounts have collectively earned a 42.6% gain, which happens to be about a 6 year gain in only 8.5 months, while the major indices such as the S&P 500 Index (SPX) has lost about 4% in that time.

Either way things go in the future on these stocks I have a plan. If XIV or IWM rises significantly I’ll look to sell more shares, but if they sharply decline then I’ll look to buy. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

14 Sep 2015:

Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of U.S. Steel (X). Generally speaking, from a seasonality perspective, the months of September and October frequently provide good opportunities for realizing solid gains. So I thought I might begin to position myself accordingly since the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at are presently highly favorable right now for several stocks including U.S. Steel.

I’d estimate that about 20% of investment success is associated with what to initially buy and when to buy while the remaining 80% is associated with the investment techniques employed. I generally try to determine approximate near term bottoms when initially buying stocks and then price average into them from there should they continue declining. Because, similar to the way a spring compresses, the lower stocks go, the more compelling buying opportunities they generally present and the stronger the potential rebound so long as not much has fundamentally changed. It takes a lot of patience and discipline to do this, especially when the stocks that you initially buy decline significantly.

For example, those who have been following my stock market activities know that over the past year, my initial purchases for Seadrill (SDRL), Sun Edison (SUNE), and the XIV ETN each declined over 40% before they rebounded to the point that I profited from them. I simply kept buying into them on the way down, and started selling on the way up via my price averaging technique which I wrote about here.

Either way things go in the future, regarding U.S. Steel, I have a plan. If U.S. Steel rises significantly I’ll look to sell shares, but if they sharply decline then I’ll look to buy more shares. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer).

Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, pManagement, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor. You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

11 Sep 2015: Today, in the stock market, I sold some of my XIV shares for a solid gain. The XIV ETN essentially positions for a decrease in the Volatility Index (VIX) and a rising stock market overall. When I first bought my XIV shares just a few weeks ago it was priced at a little over $37, but sharply and rapidly declined about 43% to a recent low of about $22. Through discipline and patience I was able to transform this initial 43% decline into about a 10% gain to date via my price averaging technique which you can read about here. And it takes a lot of patience and discipline to buy into stocks and other investment alternatives when they sharply decline, but you can achieve significant gains that way. The XIV ETN has strong potential to rise substantially from these levels, but it can be prudent to cash in on some of your gains as they happen. Because you never know how things might play out in the future. I’ve had a truly phenomenal year so far in the stock market. Year to date, my investment accounts have collectively earned a 38.6% gain, which is a little over a 5 year gain on average over a period of 8.5 months, while the major indices such as the S&P 500 Index (SPX) has lost about 5% in that time. Either way things go in the future I have a plan. If the XIV ETN rises significantly I’ll look to sell more shares, but if they sharply decline then I’ll look to buy. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor. You can also follow me on twitter if you like at Joseph M Brennan Jr @ Brighter Days Life Coaching.

31 Aug 2015: Today, in the stock market, I sold all of my remaining shares of Conoco Philips (COP). This stock has rallied hard over the past three days earning significant gains so I decided to sell. There is still potential for future gains, but I like to cash in on good gains while they happen. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

27 Aug 2015: The stock market has strongly rebounded over the past couple of days so I used this rebound as an opportunity to sell some of my stocks. I didn’t get any sell signals – I just wanted to trim some positions in order to manage risk. I sold shares of Unisys (UIS), Conoco Philips (COP), and SunEdison (SUNE) which each surged higher today. I’ve had an amazing year so far in the stock market. Year to date, my investment accounts have collectively earned a 36.3% gain while the major indices such as the S&P-500 Index (SPX) has lost about 3.5% in that time. Either way things go in the future on these stocks I have a plan. If UIS, COP, or SUNE rises significantly I’ll look to sell more shares, but if they sharply decline then I’ll look to buy. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

24 Aug 2015:

The stock market got pounded again today so I continued to buy into it. The lower the market goes, the more attractive it generally becomes in terms of opportunity. I bought more shares of XIV (the “anti-volatility” shares I talked about in a previous post), Conoco Philips (COP), and SunEdison (SUNE) which each dropped substantially.

I also moved most of my “free” cash out of money market funds, where it earns essentially nothing, and into the IWM which is an index fund which tracks the Russell 2000 index. I decided to do this, because now that the major indices have lost 10%+ from their recent peaks they appear to offer significant upside potential. Should these gains come to pass then I’ll probably go back to using money market funds instead of index funds for holding my “free” cash. I decided to go with the Russell 2000 instead of, say, the S&P 500, is because the R-2000 is comprised of smaller, domestic, oriented companies which I believe will do better in the current economic environment than the S&P-500 which is comprised of larger, multi-national, oriented companies.

The risk-reward indicators that I generally look at appear to be highly favorable for each of the stocks that I bought today, but rest assured that either way things go in the future on either of these I have a plan. If SUNE, XIV, COP, or IWM rises significantly I’ll look to sell, but if they sharply decline then I’ll look to buy more shares.

Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). I’ve had a great year so far in the stock market. Even with today’s losses, year to date, my investment accounts have collectively earned about a 27% gain while the major indices, such as the S&P-500 Index (SPX), has lost 8.0% in that time. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

21 Aug 2015: Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of XIV and SunEdison (SUNE) which each dropped substantially. I also sold some shares of Unisys (UIS) which jumped well over 5% by midday on a day when the overall stock markets dropped nearly 3%. The stock market has been getting hammered lately, but I’ve been doing ok. UIS had gotten crushed over the past few weeks since I first bought it, losing about 25% since that time, but I have continued to buy into it via my price averaging technique; transforming the original 25% loss into a slight gain as of today. You can read about my price averaging technique here. The only reason why I sold some shares of UIS today was because I have grown such a large position in the stock that I wanted to reduce my risk a bit. The stock probably has at least another 25% of upside potential so I’m holding the remaining shares for now. The XIV ETN is essentially the anti-volatility. It positions for a decrease in the Volatility Index (VIX) and a stock market rebound. The VIX is currently at extreme levels so it appears to be a good time to buy the XIV ETN. The risk-reward indicators that I generally look at appear to be highly favorable for each of these stocks. Either way things go in the future on either one of these I have a plan. If SUNE, XIV, or UIS rises significantly I’ll look to sell, but if they sharply decline then I’ll look to buy more shares. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). I’ve truly had an amazing year so far this year in the stock market! Year to date, my investment accounts have collectively earned about a 28% gain while the major indices, such as the S&P 500 Index (SPX), has lost 4.3% in that time! Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

17 Aug 2015: Today, in the stock market, I sold my remaining shares of SunEdison (SUNE) which jumped about 4% during the day and another 6.5% in the post market (10.5% gain for the day). This stock has gained quite a bit recently so I decided to go ahead and sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

12 Aug 2015: Today, in the stock market, I sold my volatilu ity shares (UVXY) which jumped over 23% in the past two days by this morning. I also have been continuing to buy shares of SunEdison (SUNE) and Unisys (UIS). Both of these stocks have continued to decline and I have been positioning for a potential rebound. Today, SUNE was highly volatile in nature indicating strong buy and sell interest in the stock. It fell to about a 14% loss early in the day, but then reversed and leaped to achieve an 11% gain by midday (a 25% spread between the low and high of the day!) so I went ahead and sold the shares that I bought yesterday and will wait to see what happens before selling the rest. If it plunges again then I’ll use the cash I raised today to buy more shares, but if it rises significantly I’ll go ahead and sell. The risk-reward indicators that I generally look at appear to be highly favorable for each of these stocks. Either way things go in the future on these, I have a plan. If SUNE or UIS rises significantly from here I’ll look to sell, but if they sharply decline I’ll look to buy more shares. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

7 Aug 2015: Today, in the stock market, I bought some shares of SunEdison (SUNE) and yesterday I bought more shares of Unisys (UIS). For both of these stocks I am positioning for a potential rebound. For SUNE, which declined over 40% since yesterday, I placed an advanced buy order for what I considered to be a ridiculously low price and actually got it. This is just a speculative play in that not all of the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at are favorable in nature, but enough to motivate me to position for at least a short term bounce. The UIS stock has been on a steady decline and I continue buying shares, because this stock appears to have strong longer term gain potential in terms of the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at. Either way things go in the future on these stocks, I have a plan. If SUNE or UIS rises significantly from here I’ll look to sell, but if they sharply decline I’ll look to buy more shares. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

29 Jul 2015: Today, in the stock market, I bought some volatility shares (UVXY) which positions for an increase in volatility and an overall stock market decline. Either way things go in the future on these shares, I have a plan. If UVXY rises significantly from here I’ll look to sell, but if it sharply declines I’ll look to buy more shares. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

28 Jul 2015: Today, in the stock market, I sold my shares of AK Steel (AKS) which soared 19% by mid-afternoon. Year to date, my investment accounts have collectively earned a 30.5% gain while the major indices such as the SPX which has only gained 1.6% in that time. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

27 Jul 2015: Today, in the stock market, I sold my volatility shares (UVXY) which leaped nearly 14% today! I also decided to buy more shares of AK Steel (AKS) which releases its earnings report tomorrow. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

24 Jul 2015: Today, in the stock market, I sold my some of my volatility (UVXY) shares which jumped 9% during the day. I also decided to buy shares of Unisys (UIS) which sharply dropped on an unfavorable earnings report. However, the sell off appeared to be overly extreme and the risk/reward indicators that I generally look at appeared to be highly favorable so I decided to buy some shares. Either way things go on either of these shares, I have a plan. If UVXY or UIS rises significantly from here I’ll look to sell, but if they sharply decline I’ll look to buy more shares. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

23 Jul 2015: Today, in the stock market, I sold my shares of General Motors (GM) which jumped 8% in the pre-market. I also decided to buy shares of Conoco Phillips (COP) since the risk/reward indicators that I generally look at appear to be highly favorable. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

16 Jul 2015: Today, in the stock market, I bought shares of General Motors (GM), AK Steel (AKS), and more shares of volatility (UVXY). The risk/reward indicators that I look at presently appear to be highly favorable for each of these so I decided to go ahead and buy. Either way things go in the future regarding these stocks I have a plan. If GM, AKS, and/or UVXY declines significantly then I’ll look to buy more shares, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

14 Jul 2015: Today, in the pre-market, Micron Technology (MU) soared 14% on a takeover bid so I quickly sold all the shares I had. While I was at it I went ahead and sold everything else that I had. The reason why I did this was because, year to date, my investment accounts have collectively earned a 26.4% gain so I thought it would be best to cash in on this gain so as not to risk losing it. Thus, although there was no compelling reason to sell the remainder of what I had I decided that I’d be better off just cashing out and awaiting future investment opportunities. The lone exception is that I went ahead and bought some shares of volatility (UVXY) which essentially positions for an increase in volatility and a decline in the overall equity markets. I thought I’d go ahead and buy a few shares just in case something goes wrong with the Greece situation. We’ll see what happens. Either way things go in the future regarding this stock I have a plan. If UVXY declines significantly then I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

13 Jul 2015: Today, in the stock market, I sold my shares of XIV and AKS. I earned about a 17% gain on XIV and AKS jumped over 6% today so I decided to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Year to date, my investment accounts have collectively earned a 23.3% gain while the major indices such as the SPX which has only gained 2.0% in that time. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

10 Jul 2015: Today, in the stock market, I did something similar to what I did a couple of days ago. I sold the shares of one steel company (ArcelorMittal – MT) and bought shares of a different steel company (AK Steel – AKS) based on relative performance. MT rose significantly today while AKS declined significantly. I generally organize my stocks and other investments by industry so that I can readily identify “best in group” opportunities. The risk/reward indicators that I look at presently appear to be favorable for AKS so I decided to go ahead and buy some shares. Either way things go in the future regarding this stock I have a plan. If AKS declines significantly then I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

8 Jul 2015: I bought quite a few stocks and other investment alternatives in the stock market today. I bought shares of the XIV ETN (which positions for a decrease in volatility), NTLOS (NTLS), more shares of Micron Technology (MU), and more shares of General Motors (GM). I sold my U.S. Steel (X) yesterday and bought more ArcelorMittal (MT) to take advantage of X gaining while MT declined. Sometimes I do that for similar stocks when I observe such behaviors. XIV is essentially the anti-volatility. It bets on a decrease in volatility and a future increase in the overall stock market. It’s essentially the opposite of what I bought and sold recently when I had anticipated an increase in volatility. But volatility has increased significantly since then so it’s about time to start looking at the other side of the trade. The risk/reward indicators that I generally look at presently appear to be favorable in nature for each of these so I decided to go ahead do some buying. Either way things go in the future regarding these stocks and other investments I have a plan. If XIV, MU, NTLS, or GM declines significantly from here then I’ll look to buy more shares, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

6 Jul 2015: Well, as luck would have it, those shares of Weight Watchers (WTW) which I bought last week for speculation purposes jumped 30% today in the pre-market (which is about a 4 year gain on average in a single day). Needless to say, I quickly sold. I’m happy that I sold it at that time, because by the end of the day the shares dropped significantly from that level. I also went ahead and bought some shares of ArcelorMittal (MT) and more shares of Micron Technology (MU). The risk/reward indicators that I generally look at presently appear to be favorable in nature for these stocks so I decided to go ahead do some buying. Either way things go in the future regarding these stocks I have a plan. If MT or MU declines significantly from here then I’ll look to buy more shares, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Year to date, my investment accounts have collectively earned a 22.3% gain while the major indices such as the SPX which has gained only 0.48% in that time. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

2 Jul 2015: Today, in the stock market, bought some shares of U.S. Steel (X) and Weight Watchers (WTW). The risk/reward indicators that I generally look at presently appear to be favorable in nature for these companies so I decided to go ahead and buy some shares. WTW is purely a speculative play in anticipation of a near term technical “bounce” – I do not plan to hold onto it for very long. We’ll see what happens. Either way things go in the future regarding these stocks I have a plan. If X or WTW declines significantly from here then I’ll look to buy more shares, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

1 Jul 2015: Well, as luck would have it, those shares of NTELOS (NTLS) which I bought yesterday jumped today and I sold them for a 15% gain. Rarely do I time a stock so beautifully. Also today, I bought some shares of General Motors (GM) and Conoco Phillips (COP). The risk/reward indicators that I generally look at presently appear to be favorable in nature for these companies so I decided to go ahead and buy some shares. The COP may continue declining due to the potential for oil prices to continue falling, but I wanted to start positioning myself for a potential rebound. We’ll see what happens. Either way things go in the future regarding these stocks I have a plan. If GM or COP declines significantly from here then I’ll look to buy more shares, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Year to date, my investment accounts have collectively earned a 21.4% gain, which is about a three year gain on average over the period of only 6 months. I have handily beat each of the major indices such as the SPX which has gained only 0.89% in that time. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

30 Jun 2015: Today, in the stock market, I bought a few shares of NTELOS (NTLS). The risk/reward indicators that I generally look at presently appear to be favorable in nature so I decided to go ahead and buy some shares. Either way things go in the future regarding this stock I have a plan. If NTLS declines significantly from here then I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

29 Jun 2015: I had a great day in the stock market today. I sold my remaining Volatility (UVXY) shares which jumped 35% in one day! One good thing about owning volatility shares us that they can help to insulate you from significant market declines. Today, the S&P 500 index (SPX) dropped 2.09%, but my overall investment accounts gained 4%. I’ve really had a stellar year in the stock market so far. Year to date, my investment accounts have collectively earned a 20.6% gain, which is about a three year gain on average over the period of only 6 months. I have handily beat each of the major indices such as the SPX which has lost 0.1% in that time. I’ve also exceeded my gains from last year (17.1%) when I also handily beat each of the major indices. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

26 Jun 2015: Today, I bought shares of Micron Technology (MU) and sold quite a few of my Volatility (UVXY) shares. The MU stock plunged today on a worse than expected earnings report and disappointing guidance. The sell off looked a bit overdone to me and the 20+ risk/reward indicators that I generally analyze and factor into my investment decisions presently appear to be highly favorable in nature so I decided to go ahead and buy some shares. Either way things go in the future regarding these stocks I have a plan. If MU or UVXY declines significantly from here then I’ll look to buy more shares, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

18 Jun 2015: Today, I sold my NTLOS (NTLS) shares and the remainder of my Weight Watchers (WTW) shares. I also bought more Volatility (UVXY) shares. The NTLS and WTW stocks were both speculative plays, and have potential to move higher, but I decided to go ahead and cash in while I had solid gains. The Volatility Index (VIX) dropped sharply today so I bought more shares of UVXY to position myself for an increase in volatility and a potential decline in the overall markets. Either way things go in the future I have a plan. If UVXY declines significantly from here then I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

17 Jun 2015: Today, I decided to sell much of my Weight Watchers (WTW) and Volatility (UVXY) shares. Both of these leaped higher earlier today so I decided to sell. WTW rose over 10% at midday on the short squeeze I’d been waiting for. There is strong potential for additional sharp moves higher given that 50% of the float has been shorted which is extremely high. I’ve done extremely well this year so far. My investment accounts have collectively earned a 16.8% gain so far this year, which is about a two and a half year gain on average over the period of only 6 months. To date, I have handily beat each of the major indices such as the S&P 500 which has merely gained 2% in that time. Either way things go in the future I have a plan. If these stocks decline significantly from here then I’ll look to buy shares, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

12 Jun 2015: Today, I decided to buy some shares of NTLOS (NTLS) and some more shares of Weight Watchers (WTW). I purchased both purely as a speculative plays and do not plan to hold them for very long. Both of these stocks have declined quite a bit over the past couple of months and are due at least for a short term rebound. The risk-reward indicators that I generally look at are highly favorable in nature so I decided to buy. Either way things go in the future I have a plan. If NTLS or WTW declines significantly from here then I’ll look to buy more shares, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

9 June 2015: Today, I decided to buy some shares of Weight Watchers (WTW) purely as a speculative play. WTW has declined quite a bit over the past couple of months and is due at least for a short term rebound. The risk-reward indicators that I generally look at are highly favorable in nature so I decided to buy some more shares. Either way things go in the future I have a plan. If WTW declines significantly from here then I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

26 May 2015: Today, in the stock market, I decided to sell most of my shares of volatility (UVXY) which essentially positions for an increase in volatility and a decline in the overall equity markets. I started buying UVXY again a few weeks ago and it kept falling so I kept buying more. Well, finally today my patience paid off! The UVXY ETN jumped nearly 10% in a single day by midday today! It’s very difficult earning gains on volatility related shares so if you do not like investments which are highly volatile in nature then I recommend that you stay away from UVXY, VXX, and similar types of investment alternatives. The UVXY ETN frequently goes up or down by 5%-10% in a single day; much of it to the downside. You can lose a lot of money if you’re not careful. Precise timing as well as solid execution is essential for earning gains on these kinds of investment alternatives. I’ve written a lot about volatility shares in my entries below. So if you want to know more please read below. I’ve done extremely well this year so far. My investment accounts have collectively earned a 16.2% gain so far this year, which is well over a two year gain on average over the period of only 5 months. To date, I have handily beat each of the major indices such as the S&P 500 which has merely gained 2.2% in that time. Either way things go in the future I have a plan. If UVXY declines significantly from here then I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

8 May 2015:  I’ve abandoned the bond markets for well over a year now for many of the reasons indicated in this article. Opting instead to either go to cash or buy volatility when selling my stock holdings. It’s paid off pretty well so far.

8 May 2015: Today, in the stock market, I decided to buy some shares of volatility (UVXY) which essentially positions for an increase in volatility and a decline in the overall equity markets. The stock markets climbed significantly today which tends to decrease volatility so I decided to buy some. Again, if you do not like investments which are highly volatile in nature then I recommend that you stay away from UVXY, VXX, and similar types of investment alternatives. UVXY dropped over 10% today and a 5%-10% daily movement in UVXY is fairly common. You can lose a lot of money if you’re not careful. Good timing, as well as employing solid execution strategies, are essential for earning gains on these kinds of investment alternatives. Either way things go in the future, with respect to UVXY, I have a plan. If UVXY declines significantly from here then I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

30 Apr 2015: Today, in the stock market, I decided to sell my remaining volatility shares (UVXY) which essentially positions for an increase in volatility and a decline in the overall equity markets. I started selling shares on Monday and planned to sell more on Tuesday, but the price dropped significantly so I decided to buy instead of sell. Yesterday, the price increased substantially so I sold more shares. And with today’s follow-on sharp rise in price I decided to sell the remainder of the shares I had. So, it was a bit of a wild ride this week with UVXY! If you do not like investments which are highly volatile in nature then I recommend that you stay away from UVXY, VXX, and similar types of investment alternatives. These kinds of shares can gain or lose 10% or more in a day, and much of the risk is to the downside, so you really have to stay on top of these and be a highly disciplined and a highly skilled investor to earn gains on these. In fact, if you had bought the UVXY on 31 December and held onto it, you would have lost about 60%. So timing, as well as employing solid execution strategies, are essential for earning gains on these kinds of investment alternatives. Fortunately, I was able to earn solid gains by being nimble, employing strong execution strategies, and buying and selling shares based on the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at. So, as of this writing, I am completely out of the stock market. My investment accounts have collectively earned about an 11% gain so far this year, which is a little over a year and a half gain on average, so at this point it makes sense to simply sell and wait. Especially, since all of this was earned in a period of only 4 months. To date, I have handily beat each of the major indices such as the S&P 500 which has merely gained 1.3% in that time. I have also nearly reached my end of the year “stretch” goal of 12%. The investing strategy I have used this year has worked extremely well. I plan to switch to a different, more conservative, investing strategy soon, but am going to patiently await a more significant overall market pullback first. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

20 Apr 2015: Today, in the stock market, I decided to sell everything I had with the exception of my volatility shares (UVXY)  which essentially positions for an increase in volatility and a decline in the overall equity markets. I was going to sell these shares as well, but the price so sharply declined that I decided to wait on selling these and might buy additional shares instead.   I am now nearly completely out of the stock market. I decided that a 10% gain, which is nearly a year and a half gain on average, was too good to pass up.  Especially, since all of this was earned in just 3.5 months. The investing strategy I used this year has worked extremely well. I plan to switch to a different, more conservative, investing strategy soon, but I want to patiently await a significant market pullback first. I have handily beat each of the major indices so far this year and have nearly reached my end of the year “stretch” goal of 12%. Either way things go in the future, with respect to UVXY, I have a plan. If UVXY declines significantly from here then I’ll look to buy more shares, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

17 Apr 2015: Today, in the stock market, I decided to sell much of my volatility shares (UVXY – essentially positions for an increase in volatility and a decline in the overall equity markets) for a hefty gain. UVXY jumped over 12% intraday today which allowed me to earn about 14% on the shares I bought yesterday. The UVXY had been on a steady decline so I kept buying into it. Well, it sure paid off today. If you do not like investments which are highly volatile in nature then I recommend that you stay away from UVXY, VXX, and similar types of investment vehicles. These kinds of shares can gain or lose 10% or more in a day, and much of the risk is to the downside, so you really have to stay on top of these and be a highly disciplined and a highly skilled investor to earn gains on these. We’ll see how things go from here, but I’ve done extremely well this year in the stock market. My overall investment accounts increased today even while the S&P 500 sharply declined by over 1%. So far this year my overall investment accounts have gained 10.1% over the past three and a half months; handily beating each of the major indices. For, example the S&P 500 has only gained about 1.1% in that time. Either way things go in the future, with respect to UVXY, I have a plan. If UVXY declines significantly from here then I’ll look to buy, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

15 Apr 2015: Today, in the stock market, I decided to sell more shares of Schnitzer Steel (SCHN) which jumped over 4%. I also decided to buy more volatility shares (UVXY) which essentially positions for an increase in volatility and a decline in the overall equity markets. We’ll see how things go. I’ve done extremely well this year in the stock market. My overall investment accounts have gained 9.6% over the past three and a half months; handily beating each of the major indices. For, example the S&P 500 has only gained about 2.3% in that time. So, in just a little over a three month period, I’ve earned a little over half of the gains I earned last year (17.1 %) when I significantly beat all of the major indices and fund managers. Either way things go in the future, on SCHN or UVXY, I have a plan. If either SCHN or UVXY declines significantly from here then I’ll look to buy more shares to better price average into them, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

9 Apr 2015: Today, in the stock market, I decided to sell my shares of AGL Resources (GAS), Ingram Micro (IM), ConocoPhillips (COP), and Weight Watchers (WTW). WTW is a stock that I’ve been recently buying when it declines significantly and selling when it sharply rises. It really paid off today when the stock popped over 6% adding to the 8% I had already gained (14% total) which is nearly a 2 year gain on average over a period of only a couple of weeks. The COP and IM stocks gained over 9% each since I bought them a few weeks ago which is a little over a year gain on average over a period of only a couple of weeks. So, as of today about 1/3 of my overall investment accounts are in stocks and the remaining 2/3 are in cash. You might be wondering why I’m doing all of this selling. Well, the primary reasons for this are that I like to lock in solid gains as I receive them and I wanted to have cash available to help manage my risk on another stock I own: Schnitzer Steel (SCHN). The SCHN stock gained significantly on Monday so I sold some shares. I had planned to sell more shares on Tuesday if the prices continued to rise, but investors had a change of heart that day and the stock sharply dropped. As such, I became a buyer instead of the seller I had planned to be using the cash that I raised on Monday to buy the additional shares. To be a successful investor, you must be flexible in your approach and be able to adapt to the situations as they unfold. At times you might intend to be a buyer of a given stock, but it rises to the point that it makes more sense to be a seller. Likewise there might be times when you might intend to be a seller of a given stock, but it sharply falls to the point that it makes more sense to be a buyer. So you will need to adapt accordingly. Another issue with the SCHN stock is that the analysts which cover the stock have recently dropped their 1 year price target from $20.40 (a month or so ago) to $16.00 (as of today) which is only about 3% above today’s closing price. Of course, there’s always the chance the analysts will prove to be wrong or that they will revise their estimates higher in the future, but it looks a bit risky right now from that standpoint. So I wanted to free up a significant amount of cash to potentially aggressively buy the SCHN stock at lower prices, should that happen, to price average into it. SCHN currently pays about a 4.8% annual dividend so that is a another factor which can help to mitigate declining prices for this stock. I also decided to buy more volatility shares today (UVXY) which essentially positions for an increase in volatility and a decline in the overall equity markets. So, a lot of stock market activity for me today. We’ll see how things go. I’ve done extremely well this year overall in the stock market. My overall investment accounts have gained about 8.5% over the past three months; handily beating each of the major indices. For, example the S&P 500 has only gained about 1.5% in that time. So, in just a three month period, I’ve earned roughly half of the gains I earned last year (17.1%) when I significantly beat all of the major indices and fund managers. Either way things go in the future, on SCHN or UVXY, I have a plan. If either SCHN or UVXY declines significantly from here then I’ll look to buy more shares to better price average into them, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

2 Apr 2015: Today, in the stock market, I decided to sell some of my shares of Schnitzer Steel (SCHN) and Weight Watchers (WTW) which rose significantly today. There were no compelling sell signals. I just wanted to sell some of my gains to manage risk. My overall investment accounts have gained about 7.5% over the past three months; handily beating each of the major indices. For, example the S&P 500 has only gained 0.4% in that time. WTW is a stock that I’ve been recently buying when it declines significantly and selling when it sharply rises. It’s really paid off so far. Both stocks are substantially below their 1 year price targets so additional gains are possible. SCHN reports earnings prior to the market open on 7 April so I might decide to sell a few additional shares if the price continues to rally before then to manage risk since stock prices can move substantially on earnings release days if there are surprises to the upside or downside in terms of the actual earnings or the forward guidance reported. Either way things go on either of these stocks I have a plan. If SCHN and/or WTW declines significantly from here then I’ll buy more shares to better price average into it, but they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

26 Mar 2015: Today, in the stock market, I decided to buy some more shares of Schnitzer Steel (SCHN) and sold some of my shares of Weight Watchers (WTW) which jumped 10% on a short squeeze. I kept buying into WTW as it declined over the past few days and today my patience and discipline really paid off. WTW is still below its current 1 year price target of $8.50 and the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at continue to be favorable in nature so I decided to only sell part of the shares I was holding. Either way that things go on these stocks I have a plan. If SCHN or WTW declines significantly from here then I’ll look to buy more shares, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

23 Mar 2015: Today, in the stock market, I decided to sell my shares of Daktronics (DAKT) for about an 11% gain and bought shares of Weight Watchers (WTW).  Concerning the DAKT stock, the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at were beginning to generate some sell signals and I had decided “up front” when buying the stock that if I earned a 10% gain or greater then I would look to sell it. The WTW is the stock I exited last week on an analyst downgrade. I decided to initiate a new position today, because the stock has declined another 20% since I exited my position last week, the stock price is now below its current 1 year price target of $8.50, the stock is heavily shorted which means that if the stock price begins to rise then it could rise substantially due to the potential for a short squeeze to happen as the short sellers are forced to buy the stock to exit their positions to prevent significant losses, and the risk-reward appears to be highly favorable due to each of these factors as well as the other indicators that I generally look at. My purchase of WTW is purely speculative in nature and not something that I plan to hold onto for the long term, but it might be good for a potential short term gain.  Either way that things go on the WTW stock I have a plan. If WTW declines significantly from here then I’ll buy more shares to price average into it, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

17 Mar 2015: Today, I decided to sell my remaining shares of Weight Watchers (WTW). A financial analyst downgraded the stock and reduced the one year price target from $14 to $5 which is about half of where the stock closed yesterday. So, I thought I’d go ahead and cash in on the gains that I had while I still had them since the target was dropped so substantially and the justification provided appeared to be reasonable. I actually got a bit of a “gift” today on this stock. A few days ago I had put in an advanced buy order for the stock, for what I had considered to be a ridiculously low price, which was executed when the market opened at a price of $9.10. I quickly sold this position for about a 4.5% gain and then sold the remainder of my shares at a higher price. Sometimes, it works out when you place advanced orders. This was one of those times. There aren’t any sell signals being generated for this stock, based on the indicators that I generally look at, but sometimes it makes sense to cash out while you have gains; especially when the price target for a stock drops so substantially with sufficient justification. Selling these shares allows me to potentially put the available cash to work towards future investment opportunities which become more compelling in nature (relatively speaking). Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

13 Mar 2015: Today, I decided to sell the shares of Weight Watchers (WTW) that I bought recently for about a 15% gain which is about a 2 year gain on average. There aren’t any sell signals being generated, based on the indicators that I generally look at, but a solid gain is a solid gain and it makes sense to cash out when experiencing significant gains so that you can potentially put this cash to work towards investment opportunities which become more compelling in nature (relatively speaking). Today, I also decided to buy more shares of Total (TOT) to price average into it, and may continue to do so, over the next few days or so since the ex-dividend date is 18 March so any shares held will receive about a 1.5% dividend on the payout date approximately a month later. The TOT stock presently offers about a 5.7% annual dividend which can help to mitigate any potential further declines. In addition, the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at continued to be favorable in nature for this stock so I decided to go ahead and buy some more. The S&P 500 fell about 0.6% today while my overall portfolio yet again gained. Since January, my investment accounts are up nearly 6%, while the S&P500 has lost 0.3%. I’m in the process of rotating out of stocks which pay no dividends and into those that do using my new dividend investment strategy. So, even if the stocks I’m holding advance no further by the end of the year my overall investment account will increase by about 3%+ due to the dividends received for the remainder of the year. We’ll see how things go, but rest assured that either way that things go on the WTW and TOT stocks I have a plan. If WTW or TOT declines significantly from here then I’ll buy more shares to price average into them, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

12 Mar 2015: Today, I decided to buy some more shares of Ingram Micro (IM) which declined significantly on an analyst downgrade. I also decided to buy some shares of Total (TOT) which is yet another oil and gas company. I’m starting to build positions into these kinds of investments in anticipation of an eventual increase in oil prices even though there is still a substantial risk that oil prices could continue declining. In addition, these kinds of stocks pay hefty dividends. The TOT stock presently offers about a 5.7% annual dividend, which can help to limit any potential further decline and the 1 year price target for this stock is presently $61.88 which is about 28% higher than today’s closing price. In addition, the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at appeared to be favorable in nature for each of these stocks so I decided to go ahead and buy. Either way things go on these stocks I have a plan. If IM or TOT declines significantly from here then I’ll buy more shares to price average into them, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

11 Mar 2015: Today, I decided to sell some of my volatility shares (UVXY) for nearly a 20% gain. I also decided to buy some shares of British Petroleum (BP). This is another oil and gas company, and although there is a risk that oil prices could continue declining, this stock has already declined quite a bit and is due for at least a short term bounce. In addition, the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at appeared to be favorable in nature so I decided to buy. The BP stock presently offers about a 6.3% annual dividend, which can help to limit any potential further decline, and the 1 year price target for this stock is presently $43.21 which is about 13% higher than today’s closing price. Concerning my overall investment account, similar to what has happened the past few days, the S&P 500 declined today and my overall investment portfolio gained – it gained quite a bit today. So, for now, things are going pretty well in the overall sense relatively speaking. Either way things go on the BP stock I bought today I have a plan. If BP continues to decline significantly, then I’ll buy more shares to price average into it, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

10 Mar 2015: Today, I decided to buy some shares of Conoco Phillips (COP). This is an oil and gas company, and although there is a risk that oil prices could continue declining, this stock has already declined quite a bit and is due for at least a short term bounce. In addition, the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at appeared to be favorable in nature so I decided to buy. The COP stock presently offers about a 4.8% annual dividend, which can help to limit any potential further decline, and the 1 year price target for this stock is presently $71.94 which is about 17% higher than today’s closing price. Concerning my overall investment account, similar to what happened last week, the S&P 500 lost 1.7% today and my overall investment portfolio actually gained a little. So things are going pretty well right now in the overall sense relatively speaking. Either way things go on the COP stock I bought today I have a plan. If COP continues to decline significantly, then I’ll buy more shares to price average into it, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

6 Mar 2015: Today, in the stock market, I decided to sell my shares of Unisys (UIS). They have gained about 8% since I bought them a few weeks ago which is a little over a year gain on average. So I decided to sell so that I’d have additional cash available to put towards future compelling opportunities should they become available. It seems increasingly likely for solid investment opportunities to become available over the near term with the market selling off the way that it did today and, as luck would have it, while the S&P 500 lost nearly 1.5% today my overall investment portfolio actually gained a little. Part of being a solid investor involves recognizing opportunities and rotating out of investments which become less favorable in nature (as a seller) and into investment opportunities that become more favorable in nature (as a buyer). Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

4 Mar 2015: Today, I decided to buy some more shares of Weight Watchers (WTW) which continues to decline. I keep buying into it patiently waiting for the rebound to happen. The risk-reward indicators that I generally look at continue to be increasingly favorable in nature so I decided to buy some more shares. Either way things go on this stock though, I have a plan. If WTW continues to decline significantly, then I’ll buy more shares to continue price averaging into it, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

2 Mar 2015: Today, I decided to buy some more shares of Weight Watchers (WTW) to price average into it and also bought some shares of Daktronics (DAKT). Both of these stocks have declined quite a bit and are due for a rebound. In addition, the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at appeared to be favorable in nature so I decided to buy. The DAKT stock presently offers about a 4% dividend and the 1 year price target for this stock is presently $15 which is about 50% higher than today’s closing price. Either way things go on these stocks, I have a plan. If these stocks continue to decline significantly, then I’ll buy more shares to continue price averaging into them, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

27 Feb 2015: Today, I did a lot of buying in the stock market. I decided to buy some shares of HSBC Holdings plc (HSEB) which is a finance related company, Weight Watchers (WTW), Ingram Micro (IM), and more shares of Schnitzer Steel (SCHN). Each of these stocks have declined quite a bit and the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at appear to be favorable in nature so I decided to buy shares in each of these companies. In addition to the 4.7% dividend offered by SCHN, the HSEB stock presently offers a 7.6% annual dividend and has a good history of making dividend payments. Stocks which offer significant dividends can help to limit any potential downside especially via a new strategy I recently wrote about using dividend stocks. Either way things go on these stocks, I have a plan. If any of these stocks decline significantly from here, then I’ll buy more shares to continue price averaging into them, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

25 Feb 2015: Today, I decided to buy some more shares of the ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures (UVXY) ETF to price average into it. The UVXY ETF essentially bets on an increase in the S&P 500 Volatility Index (VIX) and a potential decline in the overall stock market. The UVXY has declined quite a bit (as has the VIX) and the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at continue to appear to be favorable in nature so I decided to buy some additional shares. It can’t hurt to buy a little downside protection. Fortunately, for me, the shares I bought around midday today rocketed higher by the market close. So I earned a 9% gain on those shares today alone. Now, typically, if this were any other stock I probably would have went ahead and sold those shares, but the UVXY ETF tends to be highly volatile in nature and when stocks that I own carry this characteristic I like to try to hold out for at least a 15% or 20% gain. We’ll see how things play out, but rest assured that either way things go, I have a plan. If UVXY declines significantly, then I’ll buy additional shares to continue price averaging into them, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

23 Feb 2015: Today, I decided to buy some more shares of Schnitzer Steel (SCHN). SCHN has continued to decline and the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at appear to be favorable in nature so I decided to buy some additional shares. In addition, the one year price target on this stock is presently still $20.40 which is about 27% higher than today’s closing price. Furthermore, the stock presently offers a 4.7% annual dividend which can help to limit any potential downside especially via a new strategy I recently wrote about using dividend stocks. Either way things go on this stock, I have a plan. If SCHN declines significantly from here, then I’ll buy more shares to continue price averaging into them, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

20 Feb 2015: Today, I decided to buy some shares of the ProShares Ultra VIX Short-Term Futures (UVXY) ETX which essentially positions for an increase in the S&P 500 Volatility Index (VIX) and a potential decline in the overall stock market. The UVXY appears to more closely track the VIX than the iPath S&P 500 VIX ST Futures ETN (VXX) which was the investment vehicle that I formerly used for this purpose. The UVXY has been in a steady decline (as has been the VIX) and the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at appear to be favorable in nature so I decided to buy some shares. With the overall stock market reaching new highs and the risk-reward indicators approaching unfavorable territory it appeared to be an opportune time to purchase some downside protection. Either way things go from here, I have a plan. If UVXY declines significantly, then I’ll buy more shares to price average into them, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

19 Feb 2015: Today, I decided to buy some more shares of Schnitzer Steel (SCHN). SCHN has declined a bit over the past few days and the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at appear to be favorable in nature so I decided to buy some additional shares. In addition, the one year price target on this stock is presently $20.40 which is about 26% higher than today’s closing price. Furthermore, the stock presently offers a 4.6% annual dividend which can help to limit any potential downside. I’ve developed a new strategy involving dividend stocks which I will write about and publish in a future article. Either way things go on this stock, I have a plan. If SCHN declines significantly, then I’ll buy more shares to continue price averaging into them, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

13 Feb 2015: Today, I decided to buy some shares of AGL Resources (GAS) which is in the utilities sector. Typically, utilities related stocks are bought more as defensive investments, and there is a risk of further declines in the stock given that the Fed will probably raise interest rates sometime this year which generally negatively affects the utilities sector, but several of the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at appear to be favorable in nature so I decided to buy some shares. The one year price target on this stock is presently $52.57 which is only about 5% higher than today’s closing price, but the stock presently offers a little over 4% annual dividend which can help to limit any potential downside. Because of these factors I plan to continue price averaging into this stock on any further declines should the risk-reward indicators remain favorable in nature. Either way things go in the future on this stock, I have a plan. If GAS declines significantly from here, then I’ll buy more shares to price average into it, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

2 Feb 2015: Today, I decided to buy some more shares of Schnitzer Steel (SCHN) and also sold most of my shares of Seadrill (SDRL). SCHN continued last week’s decline by falling about 2% today. The cumulative decline appears to be a bit overdone and the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at appear to be highly favorable in nature so I decided to buy some additional shares. In addition, the one year price target on this stock is presently $21.20 which is about 28% higher than today’s closing price. Furthermore, the stock presently offers a 4.5% annual dividend which can help to limit any potential downside. Because of these factors I plan to continue price averaging into this stock on any further declines should the risk-reward indicators remain highly favorable. On the flip side of things, I decided to sell most of my SDRL shares which jumped 10% today which is about a 1.5 year gain on average in a single day! This is the stock that I’ve been aggressively price averaging into since the end of November. Several factors influenced my decision to sell most of my shares today: (1) My investment account overall has gained 3% year to date (in a single month!) primarily due to SDRL while my year end stretch goal for this year is 12%. So not only have I made significant progress towards my year end goal, but I have handily beat each of the other indices which have all lost between 1.3% – 2.6% year to date. (2) SDRL has jumped 23% from its recent bottom, (3) The risk-reward indicators that I generally look at have slightly moved into unfavorable territory which means that, although further upside is possible, future gains may be somewhat limited in the near term, (4) I have realized a substantial gain as a result of price averaging into this stock over the past several weeks. To put things into perspective, at the recent bottom for this stock, SDRL had lost about 43% since I started buying it in late November, but my overall gain due to price averaging into was about 20% as of today (the stock has dropped about 77% since the end of June). So price averaging into and out of stocks works; even for rapidly declining stocks. Significant gains can be realized using this process, because often, in the world of investing, lagging stocks become leading stocks.

Either way things go in the future for each of these stocks, I have a plan. If SCHN or SDRL declines significantly from here, then I’ll buy more shares to continue price averaging into them, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

30 Jan 2015: Today, I decided to buy some shares of Unisys (UIS) which had fallen over 13% on a worse than expected earnings report. The risk-reward indicators that I generally look at became highly favorable in nature so I decided to buy. No matter which way things go in the future I have a plan. If UIS continues falling I’ll buy more shares to price average into it, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

28 Jan 2015: Today, I decided to sell most of my shares of U.S. Steel (X). I’ve been price averaging into the stock over the past few weeks on significant drops since the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at continued to be highly favorable in nature. Well, today my patience and discipline paid off. The stock rose about 15% by mid-day which is a little over a 2 year gain on average in a single day! So I started selling a lot of what I had. Much of the gains experienced today were due to two things: (1) A better than expected earnings report, and (2) The fact that the stock was heavily shorted (26% of float as of 31 Dec). When stocks are heavily shorted significant gains are possible, when the stock rises, due to the potential for short squeezes to occur which is part of what happened today. So I decided to cash in on much of those gains. I decided to hold on to a few shares though, because the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at are essentially neutral in nature, neither favorable nor unfavorable, even with today’s gains. However, rest assured that no matter which way things go from here on out I have a plan. If U.S. Steel continues rising, I’ll sell more shares, but if they fall significantly then I’ll look to buy. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

15 Jan 2015: Today, I decided to buy some more shares of U.S. Steel (X). I bought an initial position a few weeks ago, but since then the stock has significantly declined so I bought additional shares today to price average into the stock since the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at continue to be highly favorable in nature. Furthermore, the stock has been heavily shorted (26% of float as of 31 Dec). As such, significant gains are possible, when the stock rises, due to the potential for short squeezes to occur. Price averaging into and out of stocks can help you to capitalize no matter which way things play out. Rest assured that either way things go in the future, I have a plan. If X continues declining, I’ll buy more shares, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

9 Jan 2015: Today, I decided to buy some shares of Schnitzer Steel (SCHN) and also bought additional shares of Seadrill (SDRL). SCHN continued Thursdays decline by falling about 8.5% today. The decline appeared to be a bit overdone and the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at appear to be highly favorable in nature so I decided to buy some shares. In addition, the one year price target on this stock is presently $24.50 which is about 34% higher than today’s closing price. Furthermore, the stock presently offers a 4.1% annual dividend which can help to limit its downside. Regarding SDRL, this is the stock in which I recently sold part of my position when the stock price significantly increased so that I’d have cash available to purchase additional shares in case they significantly fell which they did. Operating in this fashion can help you to capitalize no matter which way things play out in the stock market. Because, nothing is ever certain. Seek to position yourself to take advantage of stock prices whether they rise or whether they fall. Either way things go in the future on these stocks, I have a plan. If SCHN or SDRL continue declining, I’ll buy more shares to price average into them, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

1 Jan 2015:

FINAL SCORE =>>> JOE: 21%   STOCK MARKET: 11%

So… The results are now officially in. I was able to beat each of the major stock market indexes in 2014. My personal investment account earned 20.8% while my much smaller Roth IRA account (which is subject to more stringent rules, such as no margin and more stringent buying and selling rules, making investing a bit more challenging) earned 9.0%. Between the two I collectively earned a 19.2% gain, which is nearly a 3 year gain on average, and was over five times the Russell 2000 index’s year end gain of 3.6%, nearly triple the Dow Jones Industrial Average index’s year end gain of 7.5%, and almost double the S&P 500 index’s gain of 11.4%. So, overall, this was a highly successful investment year for me. Especially since 85% of actively managed fund managers lagged the benchmark indexes they were seeking to beat in 2014 making it their worst year in 30 years. I discuss my key results and findings from 2014 and strategy refinements in this article for those that have interest.

22 Dec 2014: Today, I decided to buy some shares of U.S. Steel (X) which fell about 9% on a World Trade Organization tariff-based issue submitted by South Korea against U.S. Steel. The decline appeared to be a bit overdone and the risk-reward indicators that I generally look at appear to be highly favorable in nature so I decided to buy some shares. In addition, the one year price target on this stock is presently $42 which is about 60% higher than today’s closing price. Either way things go on this stock, I have a plan. If X continues declining significantly I’ll buy more shares to price average into it, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

17 Dec 2014: Today, I decided to sell some shares of Seadrill (SDRL) mid-day today and my NTLS shares at the end of the day. The SDRL is the stock I’ve been price averaging into and the last time I bought shares was on 15 Dec. Well, since then the stock has spiked to about a 17% gain overall over the past couple of days which is about a 2.5 year gain on average. So, I decided to sell the shares I bought two days ago. This will allow me to use this cash to buy additional shares should the stock reverse again and decline further. To put things into perspective, at the bottom a couple if days ago, this stock had lost about 40% since I started buying it, but my overall loss due to price averaging into was about 12% at that point in time. However, I have about a 5% gain overall as of today. So price averaging does work. SDRL has lost about 74% since the end of June so I feel badly for those who bought the stock back then. Either way things go in the future, I have a plan. If SDRL continues rising significantly I’ll sell more shares to continue price averaging out of it, but if it falls significantly then I’ll look to buy. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

10 Dec 2014: Today, I decided to sell my shares of the volatility ETN with the ticker symbol VXX. The VXX essentially “bets” on an increase in volatility and potential decline of the S&P 500 index (SPX). The VXX spiked over the past few days, and volatility spikes tend to be short lived so I decided to sell. I realized a little over a 13% gain which is nearly a two year gain on average. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

2 Dec 2014: Today, I decided to buy some shares of NETLOS (NTLS) as well as more shares of Seadrill (SDRL). The NTLS fell 45% today which looked quite a bit overdone based on the indicators that I look at and is ripe for at least a near term bounce if nothing more. The SDRL has yet to find a bottom so I keep buying into it. I should do pretty well on these stocks whenever a rebound happens, but either way things go, I have a plan. If these stocks continue to decline significantly I’ll buy more shares to price average into them, but if they rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

1 Dec 2014: Today, I decided to buy some more shares of Seadrill (SDRL) mid-day today. It took another tumble due to the continued plunging oil prices. It may continue falling, but I will continue to buy into it until it starts rising again and reverts back to the mean. I generally earn more money over time when stocks fall, because I buy more shares on the way down and grow my position over time. As such, when a rebound happens it often turns out well. To put things into perspective, the stock has lost about 40% since I started buying it last week, but my overall loss so far due to price averaging into it is about 3%. The stock has lost about 70% since June so I feel badly for those who bought the stock back then. Either way things go in the future, I have a plan. If SDRL continues declining significantly I’ll buy more shares to continue price averaging into it, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

28 Nov 2014: Today, I decided to buy some more shares of Seadrill (SDRL). It took another tumble due to the plunging oil prices associated with OPEC’s decision to not cut production to support oil prices. How low it falls is anyone’s guess, but I am buying more shares today and will continue to do so until it starts rising again and at least reverting back to the mean. All stocks generally revert to the mean at some point so i will patiently wait for that to happen and continue buying if the drops continue. There is potential for the stock to drop further with the associated continuing decline in oil prices, but I believe the stock might be nearing a bottom. Either way things go though, I have a plan. If SDRL declines significantly I’ll continue buying to price average into it, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

26 Nov 2014: Today, I decided to buy some shares of Seadrill (SDRL) which dropped significantly on a poor earnings report and a decision to suspend the dividend. The drop appears to be overdone so I decided to go ahead and buy. I’ve been watching this stock for a few weeks now. There is potential for the stock to drop further with the continuing decline in oil prices, but it may be nearing a bottom. Either way things go though, I have a plan. If SDRL declines significantly I’ll continue buying to price average into it, but if it rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

25 Nov 2014: Today, I decided to buy some shares of a volatility ETN with the ticker symbol VXX. The VXX essentially “bets” on an increase in volatility and potential decline of the S&P 500 index (SPX). The VXX is sitting near its 52 week low and has historically significantly lost money over time. However, I believe the times have changed due to the end of the Fed’s multi-year Quantitative Easing (QE) program and the potential for interest rate hikes in 2015. As such, the downside appears to be limited and the upside potential significant. Either way things go though, I have a plan. If the VXX ETN declines significantly I’ll continue buying to price average into it, but if the VXX ETN rises significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

14 Nov 2014: Well, as luck would have it, those shares of American Superconductor (AMSC) that I bought yesterday purely as a speculative play popped higher today. I earned about a 10% gain which is about a year and a half gain in one day. So I quickly sold and will now await the next compelling opportunity. I’m happy that I earned a gain on this one, because I hadn’t realized at the time of purchase that the trading fees were nearly 20 times higher than usual (apparently my online broker charges significant fees for what they consider to be “penny stocks” – those stocks priced below $2 per share). So I needed to earn a 1.6% gain just to break even. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. In this case, I was happy to get out with any kind of a gain due to the significant trading fees involved. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

13 Nov 2014: Today, I decided to buy some shares of American Superconductor (AMSC) as a purely speculative play. The stock has dropped significantly over the past few days and weeks and it looked a little overdone. I put in an order this morning to buy shares at a ridiculously low price and actually got it. I use this strategy often and sometimes it actually works out. By the end of the day the shares began rising again and I earned a 3.5% gain. I don’t plan to sell just yet, but either way things go I have a plan. If the AMSC shares decline significantly I’ll continue buying to price average into them. But if the AMSC shares rise significantly then I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” on the sidebar to the right or below (depending upon which device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

7 Nov 2014: Today, I sold all of the stocks that I still held which included shares of Schnitzer Steel (SCHN) which neared it’s 1 year price target, XIV which essentially “bets” on a decrease in the volatility index (VIX) which is near multi-month lows, Terex (TEX) which has nicely recovered from its earnings day slump a week ago, and CONN which has been rising steadily over the past few weeks. From a seasonal standpoint, November is typically the time to buy (and not sell) stocks since the highest gains typically happen from November through April so you might question why I would want to sell out of this market. Well, there are two primary reasons: 1) I bought into the mid September-to-mid October market slump where the stock market lost nearly 10% and since then the stock market has gained over 11% over a period of about 3 weeks or so which is about a year and a half gain (on average) over a period of weeks. 2) My year end “stretch” goal for my investment account was 12% and I have gained 16% as of today which is over a two year gain (on average). When the overall market bottomed in mid-October, and I kept buying into it, my investment account was at a 6% loss, so it has risen 22% since then. So, rather than continue taking risk I sold what I had to realize this gain and await an overall market pullback or other compelling investment opportunities before putting my cash to work. Part of being a solid investor involves not only having target end goals for your investments, but also year end target goals which will prompt you to reduce your stock market exposure as you begin approaching them. Please contact me if you need any assistance with any of your financial planning, management, and/or investing needs as this is one of the areas that I actively perform life coaching in. Also feel free to click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” in the sidebar to the right or below (depending on what device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

5 Nov 2014: As luck would have it, the HHGregg (HGG) shares I bought yesterday jumped about 13% by mid-day today which is nearly a two year gain on average. Rarely do I time a stock so beautifully! Not one to turn down such a gift, I quickly sold. The stock still had room to run, but the 1 year price target for the stock continues to be revised lower and is presently at $5.56. So it seemed like a good time to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or unfavorable (as a potential seller in this particular case) in nature. Click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” in the sidebar to the right or below (depending on what device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

4 Nov 2014: I bought some shares of HHGregg (HGG). The stock has dropped significantly over the past few days and it looked a little overdone. Either way things go I have a plan. If the HGG shares continue declining significantly I’ll continue buying to price average into them. But if the HGG shares rise significantly I’ll look to sell. Part of being a solid investor is recognizing opportunities when you see them and promptly capitalizing on them when the risk-reward of securities you are tracking become highly favorable (as a buyer) or highly unfavorable (as a potential seller or short seller) in nature. Click on “Financial Planning, Management, and Investing Related Posts” in the sidebar to the right or below (depending on what device you are using) for helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

24 Oct 2014: Today I sold all of my shares of Ingram Micro (IM). This was another stock that I kept buying as it declined over the past few weeks due to the strong fundamental and risk-reward indicators that I generally look at. The stock jumped 9% on strong earnings (a little over a year gain, on average). Sometimes, what I like to do, when buying and selling stocks, is to put in advance orders for what I consider to be ridiculously low prices when buying and ridiculously high prices when looking to sell. This strategy really paid off for this stock both when the stock was declining significantly and also during today’s pop higher. Part of being a good investor is having the discipline to continue buying when a stock with favorable fundamental and risk-reward indicators is falling and ceasing buying activities when the stock recovers and rises significantly and looking to be a seller instead. Many people do the opposite. They sell out of stocks that decline significantly and then get excited when they rise significantly and continue buying when much of the gains have already been realized. Don’t do this to yourself. Have a defined strategy “up front” and execute in accordance with that strategy. Contact me if you need assistance with developing and refining a strategy or if you would like me to perform fundamental and technical analyses on the securities you are considering buying or selling. Also click on “Financial Planning,  Management,  and Investing Related Posts” in the sidebar to the right or below (depending on what device you are using) for some helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.

22 Oct 2014: Today I sold all of my shares of Unisys (UIS). This was a stock that I kept buying as it declined over the past few weeks. I had amassed quite a large position in the stock due to strong fundamental and risk-reward indicators that I generally look at and it really paid off today. The stock jumped 28% on strong earnings (about a 4 year gain, on average,  in a single day!). Part of being a good investor is recognizing solid gains when you see them and promptly cashing in on these to free cash up for future compelling investment opportunities should the risk-reward trade-off of securities you are tracking become highly favorable at some point in the future.  Click on “Financial Planning,  Management,  and Investing Related Posts” in the sidebar to the right or below (depending on what device you are using) for some helpful tips on how to become a solid investor.