The Dispassionate Investor
From rags to riches. Redemption. An exciting story. A happy ending. These are things that make good movies, not good stocks.
Were you tempted to buy Bank of America, GM, or GE? Or wannabe giant-killer American Micro Devices that had Intel on the ropes for a few shining months?
Human nature can be our worst enemy when we invest. We think a company “deserves” better, is “misunderstood,” is ready to “fight back”… as if the market cares about any of these things.
There are a lot of screaming bargains available right now. Lots of companies with compelling stories. Lots of companies in sexy sectors (like alternative energy). But, you’re not looking for romance. You’re looking for a good investment.
Usually, you can tell a risky stock when you see one. GM never looked good last year. Bank of America made headlines for all the wrong reasons. GE kept revising its earnings down. American Micro Devices is the classic underdog, but had serious money problems it couldn’t hide from anybody.
You know better than to invest in companies like these. Look for your thrills elsewhere – and remember that the biggest investment mistakes are stocks you bought, not the ones you missed.
[Ed. Note: Thousands of Americans are cashing in on a loophole for collecting up to $8,881 a month, backed by an "explicit" U.S. Treasury guarantee... and the next batch of checks is going out on March 27, 2009. Learn how you can get your name on the list by reading on here.]
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