BY GORDON WILSON
We sat down with the experts at Berger CPA First
and asked them to explain what separates the
sav v y investor from the unfortunate. There
are many pitfalls they've seen investors
fall into throughout their years of
professional experience.
Here's what they
had to say.
S W E E T E MO T ION S
Emotions: the brilliant spectrum of
human experience, the highs and lows
that make life interesting and oh, so
bittersweet. Emotions certainly have
their time and place but it's not in the
world of investing. Be wary of the
broker that pressures you to buy a
"hot" security, especially when it
requires selling your existing funds in
order to invest into a new one. Similarly,
do not be too quick to unload a stock or
fund just because it slips a few points.
When planning your portfolio, think in
the long term and avoid impulse buys.
Do not fall prey to the myth of "market
timing," the belief that by getting into
or out of a security at exactly the right
moment, we can retire rich. Market
timing does not work. The key to a
successful portfolio lies in planning,
discipline, and reason. Try to stay in
a security or fund for the long haul.
With that said, when it's time to
unload a loser, let it go.
V U E N J .C O M
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