7 Trade rules for traders & investors

1.  Always Insist on a Margin of Safety.  Keep in mind that no asset class or stock sector or particular commodity is free from risk.  Always think safety first, being right second.  Your thesis may be correct on paper, but you can go broke along the way.

2.  This Time Is Never Different. The four most dangerous words in investing are “this time is different” because these words set up false expectations.  A new era does not mean the era is different in principle.  It may simply be a wolf in different clothing.

3.  Be Patient And Wait For your Trade.  Many investors suffer from “action bias” or a desire to do something.  However, when there is nothing to do the best thing to do is nothing.

4.  Be Contrarian. The herd is usually wrong.  The punch bowl of speculation is usually spiked with denial.  Be careful getting in when the getting is at the end.

5.  Risk Is Permanent Loss of Capital, Never A Number. Pay attention to valuation, fundamental, and financial risks and thus avoid permanent impairment of your capital.

6.  Be Leery of Leverage. Leverage is a dangerous beast.  It can’t turn a bad investment good, but it can turn a good investment bad.  Whenever you see a financial product with leverage as its foundation you should be skeptical, not delighted.

7.  Never Invest In Something You Don’t Understand. If something sounds too good to be true it probably is.  If you do not understand where your money is going then don’t press the pedal ’cause the vehicle may be in reverse.

Invest when the law is on your side; otherwise you may find yourself on the other side of the barbed wire fence at BROKE prison.

 

Trader disciplines

– The market pays you to be disciplined.

– Be disciplined every day, in every trade, and the market  will reward you. But don’t claim to be disciplined if you are not 100 percent of the time.

– Always lower your trade size when you’re trading poorly.

– Never turn a winner into a loser.

– Your biggest loser can’t exceed your biggest winner.

– Develop a methodology and stick with it. Don’t change methodologies from day to day.

– Be yourself. Don’t try to be someone else.

– You always want to be able to come back and play the next day. Once you reach the daily downside limit, you must turn your PC off and call it a day. You can always come back tomorrow.

– Earn the right to trade bigger. Remember: if you are trading poorly with two lots you must lower your trade size down to a one lot.

– Get out of your losers.

– The first loss is the best loss.

– Don’t hope and pray. If you do, you will lose.

– Don’t worry about news. It’s history.

– Don’t speculate. If you do, you will lose.

– Love to lose money. What I mean is to accept the fact that you are going to have losing trades throughout the trading session. Get out of your losers quickly. Love to get out of your losers quickly.

– If your trade is not going anywhere in a given timeframe,  it’s time to exit.

– Never take a big loss. Only a big loss can hurt you.  Consistency builds confidence and control.

– Learn to sweat out (scale out) your winners.

– Make the same type of trades over and over again? Be a bricklayer. Don’t over-analyze. Don’t procrastinate. Don’t hesitate. If you do, you will lose. All traders are created  equal in the eyes of the market.

– It’s the market itself that wields the ultimate scale of justice.

What is Two and Two?

what is two and two

A business man was interviewing applicants for the position of divisional manager. He devised a test to select the most suitable person for the job. He asked each applicant, “What is two and two?”

The first interviewee was a journalist. His answer was “Twenty-two.”

 

The second applicant was an engineer. He pulled out a slide rule and showed the answer to be between 3.999 and 4.001.

 

The next person was a lawyer. He stated that in the case of Jenkins v Brown, two and two was proven to be four.

 

The last applicant was an accountant. The business man asked him, “How much is two and two?” The accountant got up from his chair, went over to the door and closed it then came back and sat down. He leaned across the desk and said in a low voice…“How much do you want it to be?”

Happy journey

“Life should not be a journey to the grave
With the intention of arriving in a well preserved body
But rather to skid in sideways, champagne in one hand,
Strawberries in the other, body thoroughly used up,
Totally worn out and screaming,
WOO HOO! What a Ride!”