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If it is true that the only constant is change, then the challenge of the market in this millenium has proven itself to be a great opportunity to ride the winds of change. So don't sweep up those ashes ... no, no, no, ... instead rise up with them ... blowing the ashes to the wind of resurrection ... one of renewed understanding, experience, and commitment to your personal wealth. I was once told that a challenge was an opportunity in disguise and the trick was in removing the disguise and embracing the opportunity. In case you haven't noticed ... the NASDAQ has had it's legs kicked out from under it in the last couple of years ... and now it is sitting on its ... ah ... little fanny right next to the Dow. Is there a bad moon rising? Or has every day just been another bear market day? Might we be the midst of a great opportunity? What do you think? The 2nd half of last year and the first quarter of this year created many casualties, not only for investors but for companies as well ... both are bleeding and littering the road side. On March 8, 2001 the one year anniversary of the NASDAQ all time high, it had lost 57%. And if you had a weighted tech portfolio my guess is you also had a loss of at least 57% or better depending on which tech stocks and other sectors made up your portfolio. If you had some Dow bluechips in there, well after today you are probably wondering if that was such a good idea even if the Oracle of Omaha has been buying since last quarter. Who is profiting in this market? Who ever they are they are making an amazing fortune. Now what I find most interesting ... and some thing I think people are losing sight of is that ... for every dollar lost in the last nine months by some one ... some one else gained a dollar ... all those dollars
had to go some where now didn't they? So whose pocket is your money in, ever wonder about that? That trillion dollar loss was also a trillion dollar gain to those who shorted the market. hmmm ... brings to mind another cliche ... what goes up ... must come down! ... and down it came, but not everyone came
down with it, mostly the small investor hit bottom, your 'wealth affect' disappeared. That term kinda makes it sound like it wasn't real in the first place. Speaking of the wealth affect ... well ... I am trying to find a definition for that ... what is it? Were you just building that little nest egg ... you know saving for a rainy day, your retirement, your children's
education ... or were you just wanting to wear the King's New Clothes to impress your friends? My guess is you had a 'future' plan ... your future ... and were not a bit interested in living beyond your means or impressing your friends. Guess you should have put that savings under your mattress instead of investing in the basic infrastructure of your country ... business. But I guess that either way your house can burn down, or you can be robbed. Looks like a bit of both things happened to all of us. Of course those who are hurt the most are people who will either reach retirement age or planned to retire in the next five to ten years. It may take a decade or more to recover the financial losses they have suffered. So ... here we are ... at the door of opportunity ... though you may be a bit gun shy the opportunity still presents itself and seasoned traders, and long time investors are poised for a return.
Unless you knew when to sell or when to short this market ... you probably did not take much in the way of profits with you into 2001. It is my opinion that before you learn to buy stock ... you should first learn to sell a stock ... and the last half of 2000 was a good example of why. I think of companies in terms of a romance ... I can fall in love ... but I don't have to get married and later face an ugly divorce ... and the nice thing about stocks is that I can romance several at the same time, and they never get jealous, and if all the signs tell me that it is time to move on to a new romance the old one doesn't cry, just waves a nice happy green ado ... until we
meet again. I think the best thing to learn if you are going to buy stocks ... is to learn ... when to love them and when to leave them. Which brings us to what is long/term buy/hold? Is it a misnomer that creates a cushion of security that keeps the romance from ending when it should? Have you ever wondered how long is long term? When should buy/hold become bought/sold? Do you keep your car forever? Your house forever? ... Why then would you keep stock in a company forever? Just like cars, lovers and candy bars they fall out of favor. If you are new to this thing called 'investing' ... well the story changes. It is a great time ... fabulous time ... to learn the 'how too's and about the history, psychology and behavior of the markets and to start trading. In the next three months you will be able to find more bargain stock then you could ever afford buy ... and in my opinion ... there will be more causalities before this quarter ends and perhaps a nice bottom in September. Guess I should tell you that I am not a professional ... nope ... just an ordinary woman who has a fascination for the stock market and does a little investing ... just like you. This site is not intended to teach you how to invest ... there are lots of good sites out there that can do that and I see no reason to reinvent the wheel ... nor is it inferring or implying that you should purchase any particular stock or invest in any particular sector. Mainly I am sharing my experience and thoughts with you as I make my way through this maze. The first thing that was pounded into my head when I started was ... "Always protect your capital" ... it is the most precious thing you have for with out it you will lose your power to continue to invest. Always do your own home work ... your due diligence ... and check with your stock broker and brokerage firm before you make any investment. There are many ways to start investing in stock and many ways to trade stock ... my favorite way to learn is with an investment club. If you are new to investing, in my opinion, there is no better way to learn and keep your money fairly safe and secure. Investment clubs are all over the world ... in the cities and the country ... and are made up of a wonderful mix of people who have the same goal ... to make money. You might want to visit the NAIC site ... National Association of Investment Clubs to learn about what they offer members as excellent teaching tools. And before you do anything else ... think about joining one or starting one. Oh ... and the most important thing ~ laughing ~ ... become addicted to CNBC! Never leave home with out it. No matter what they say they are indeed the new generation of market makers and can move the market, either up or down, in a flash. The Internet has become the worlds greatest encyclopedia and is a plethora of sites teaching everything from fundamentals to charting, long term/buy hold to day trading. You will find some excellent sites in the links to the right.
The stocks listed below are not recommendations ... just examples of stocks on both the NYSE and the NASDAQ to stimulate your curiosity and represent a variety of sectors. They only appear here as possible research subjects ... for
learning ... There are many professional sites that offer information and research ... some of which I will list on this site ... and many I am sure you can find for yourself once you get started. But for now ... enjoy your visit ...
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Copyright � 2001�� Cassie �� All rights reserved.
 ~cassie~ 
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