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are you folks following these guidelines - dont drop out?

http://insights.schwab.com/retirement/when-markets-dip-dont-drop-out

or following other guidelines buy when blood in street and sell when sentiments are at high levels [??? starting to sell slowly now???]

Comments

  • BUY CHEAP,SELL HIGH......The ONLY lesson you have to implement to be successful in the buying and selling of securities....can it be any more simple, cowboy?
  • edited January 2015
    Tampabay said:

    BUY CHEAP,SELL HIGH......The ONLY lesson you have to implement to be successful in the buying and selling of securities....can it be any more simple, cowboy?

    Simple?

    If you were buying every "dip" on the NASDAQ during the 2-3 year run-up from 1500 to 5000 in the late 90s, you would have had a rude awakening.

    Don't laugh. I know people who did just that.

    Also: Don't try to catch falling knives. This assumes there are those among us with the brilliance to call bottoms precisely. Perhaps you TB?

  • edited January 2015
    A couple of thoughts:

    1. Buy only what you would be willing to hold if the market closed for 10 years. Or even 5. That's really not a bad way to really filter down to what you consider your best ideas.

    2. Buy at a reasonable price. Maybe you don't always get something for cheap, but again with the Buffett quote: "It's far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price." I mean, look at Coke - which I believe was trading at a significantly higher p/e in the late 90's - in 1998 it was $42.50, it's now around $43, with a fairly sizable dip in-between. Of course, people also bought YHOO and MSFT at absurd valuations in the 90's, but there's quite a few less extreme examples and I see a lot of consumer names that are trading at valuations that I consider out-of-whack or at the very least, quite rich.

    3. It's difficult for me to buy things that don't have a dividend, but I've made some exceptions recently (Gilead, for example, which I'd like to hope will offer a dividend over the next few years - same with Howard Hughes Corp.) Otherwise, I buy things that interest me (which helps when things are difficult - if I don't care about what the company does, it's difficult for me to have it as a long-term holding) and that - in many cases - have a strong moat, good long-term track record and who have a track record of increasing dividends.

  • MLPs look very attractive now w/ the recent in oil dip fyi
  • johnN said:

    MLPs look very attractive now w/ the recent in oil dip fyi

    EPD just raised the div again for something like the 40th consecutive quarter.
  • edited January 2015
    "brilliance to call bottoms precisely"
    Who said ANYTHING about Bottoms?, CHEAP has nothing to do with a bottom, that might be your mistake (misunderstanding Principles)
    Forget the knives stuff please....
  • edited January 2015
    @TPA - LOL

    Guess my comment was over the top. But please don't accuse me of having principles.:)






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