Invest To Make Money, Not To Get Rich
The technology boom of the '90s romanticized the "rags-to-riches" ideal that all of us dream about when investing. For those that invested $1000 in Dell at $5 during 1990, held through the seven splits, then sold in March 2000 at $59, the dream was a reality. That investment would have returned an amazing $1,132,800! Image making over $1 million for every thousand dollars invested. Beyond Dell, companies like EBay, Amazon.com, and many others made their investors very wealthy. Unfortunately, the '90s provided a different investment environment than we are use to. We experienced the birth of a new technology and it required new companies, jobs and consumers to fill the needs of the industry. Immediately, our economy had a new demand with limited supply. This led to the feeding-frenzy stock purchasing that we all witnessed. Once reality settled in, too many companies were heavily leveraged, over-extended in equity, and/or did not have revenues to support their business models. The sudden collapse of mega-companies like Webvan, the online grocer that wasted over $750 million, became highly responsible for the economic problems that we faced earlier this century. Moral of this story: Invest to make money, not to get rich. One lessoned learned during the '90s was the importance of due diligence; researching company financial records, management philosophies, growth strategies, etc. Doing so allows investors to find strong investment opportunities and minimize the risk of purchasing a bankrupt company. Investing to make money stresses the need to evaluate financial goals and taking steps, not leaps, to get there. The oil boom of the year has brought about several high return stocks; doubling or tripling in a matter of months. Taking advantage of one of these stocks is a giant leap, but finding a 200% gain might require 7-8 25% losses. Ultimately, an investor could lose more than gained. With solid research, finding companies capable of returning 10-20% growth per year has a high probability. While not as romantic as a single high-return investment, five 20% gains equals the return of a single 100% gain. This is the meaning of taking steps. Settle for solid returns and repeat the process as many times possible. While not every stock will produce 20%, selecting strong companies will limit your risk for large losses. DPB Financial ? http://www.dpbfinancial.com Watch for our next article, coming soon. A continuation of this topic, we will address the "how to" of analyzing your financial needs, setting goals and building and investment strategy to meet those goals. *The information within this article is for educational purposes only and is not being provided as investment advice. DPB Financial recommends that investors do their own due diligence or solicit the advice of an investment professional.*
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Getting Started Investing is Often the Hardest Part
There are several reasons people give for not investing their money in things like stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. One reason is that they feel that they don't have enough money to make a serious investment, but a more common reason that many people have absolutely no idea how to go about getting started investing. In fact, if more people understood the basics of investing and had a cohesive plan for getting started investing, more people would do it.
Raising Capital in Today?s ?New Economy?
We've helped a number of clients develop business plans and raise capital from "angel" investors, corporate entities and venture capitalists during the last 6-8 years. It's always a daunting process that can be full of pitfalls and require a tremendous amount of work ? but it can be done! Here is some perspective gleaned from years of experience.
June 2005: Weather Forecasts for Weather Traders
If Johannes Kepler, the renowned 17th century astronomer and discoverer of the planetary laws of motion, could speak from the heavenlies, he might have a few words of wisdom to share with the National Weather Service. Although Kepler's name is not normally associated with meteorology, he was quite the weather forecaster in his day. His first claim to fame, by the way, was not due to his discovery of those planetary laws, but because of his accurate long-range weather forecast of the severe winter that put Styermark, Germany on ice in 1593.
Trading Tips No 3: Online Trading and Investing: Buy, Hold, and Hope
So you have learned how to trade the markets by mastering a few trading tools like Moving Averages, Channels, Stochastics, MACD, or RSI - that is a great accomplishment achieved by only a few. However, having the tools and rules to trade markets successfully, year in and year out, is only half of the challenge. The other half is far more daunting and achieved by even fewer investors - I am talking about good old-fashioned discipline. That is, discipline to follow your indicators and rules without fail - every trade entry and every trade exit. This is why it is critical that you learn how to trade. This is the ‘moment of truth’ in the life of every trader or investor.
25 Ways to Find Companies to Buy
When you start your program to purchase your "ideal" company, you quickly realize that your ultimate success will depend on two primary skill sets: 1) Your ability to FIND viable companies that are for sale, and 2) Your ability to effectively qualify the potential acquisition investment once found.
New U.S. Mint Coins a Golden Opportunity
In April, the U.S. Mint revealed plans to strike in early 2006 new .9999 bullion coins to go after the growing world market for .9999 fine (24-karat) gold coins. Studies show that pure gold coins claim 60% of the world's gold bullion coin market, which is some $2.4 billion annually. The Royal Canadian Mint's Maple Leafs hold the number one spot for pure gold coins. However, problems with Maple Leafs have surfaced.
Pros & Cons of Investing in Bonds
What are Bonds?
Getting Started In Investing
Are you ready to open your pathway to financial independence?
Playing With Money - And Making More
Ready to start playing with your money? Not interested in complicated businesses or boring bank C.D.'s? Here are some methods that aren't quite a business because you can do them once, or just whenever you feel like it. Start small and the risk is small.
Help with My Annuity
The cries are heard from the distance, "I need help with my annuities." Nothing has changed...just a lonely senior who can't trust anybody with her annuity because every time she asks for advice, someone tries to make her invest in a different annuity...Sound familiar? Well you are not alone.
Waiting 20 Years Can Cost You Millions - Dont Wait Start Today
Many Young people live for Today. They really don't fully understand the power of compound interest. The Difference between investing as little as $20 a week at age 20 or waiting until age 50 can be over $3,000,000 (yes 3 Million). Don't wait start today!
Oil and Gasoline Price Uncertainties
The Light Crude Continuous Contract hit an all-time high at $70.85 a barrel, while Unleaded Gasoline Futures spiked 50% or $1 a gallon on Tuesday. However, oil closed the week at $67.57 a barrel, while gasoline finished the week up 15%. There's still uncertainty over the extent of oil and gasoline disruptions in the Gulf, over the next few weeks or months, caused by hurricane Katrina. However, there are many forces keeping a lid on oil and gasoline prices.
Options Education: Financing the Calendar!
As a trader, one of the key things that I try to consciously do is to cultivate my instincts by talking with other traders and investors as often as possible. It still amazes me how large the divergence of opinion that exists regarding what people believe will unfold as we enter the new millennium. Many very respected names are literally predicting an economic earthquake that will measure a 10 on the Richter scale while others having looked at the exact same research claim that the consequences will be very mild. As a trader I have to evaluate the data and develop a strategy that I feel not only gives me an edge but allows for a great deal of error while still being low risk!
What is an Investor Ready Business Plan
A Business Plan, as all good entrepreneurs starting out in life should know is the foundation, or rather a springboard, towards the establishment and growth of a new business. A business plan is an essential tool for companies raising capital ? and your business plan needs to be Investor Ready.
Investing and the Fear of Regret and Greed
People tend to feel sorrow and grief after having made an error in judgement.
5 Ways To Protect Your Bond Portfolio From Rising Interest Rates
The Federal Reserve recently raised its target federal funds rate for the first time since March 2000. This could be just the tip of the iceberg, though, as many experts believe rising inflation and a strengthening economy will spur continued rate hikes for the foreseeable future.
The American Age of Inflation is Over
"The American Age of Inflation is finished." So says economist Robert Samuelson in his December 2nd Washington Post column.
Making Every Penny Count
More and more workers are leaving their jobs and taking their 401 k retirement plan funds with them. While some are rolling their funds over into IRAs or other qualified plans; many are taking their distributions in cash. Once an employee has left the job, any payments of earned vacation, sick or other leave made after leaving the job were not considered for inclusion in deferrals to Solo 401k, 401(k), or 403(b) plans. These plans' definition of compensation excluded any post employment earnings as the IRS excluded it from the definition. As far as these plans' were concerned, it's as if the money was never earned.
Investing In Sons Business Could Cause A Real Family Feud
Q: My youngest son wants to borrow $5,000 to start his own business. My wife is afraid to tell him no. She thinks we should just give him the money and not expect anything in return. I disagree. He doesn't have a very good track record with money, so I'm a little worried that my investment will be lost. Should I loan him the money and hope for the best or just tell him no and hope he doesn't get too upset?
Why Do You Want to Become a Online Trader?
Motivational guru Tony Robbins teaches that the reason for doing something rates much higher than the methods you use to get the job done. In order to make your goal REAL, you need to attach severe, horrifying, intense and profound fear to failure.
|
Comment by Frank O'Donnell
