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Pitfalls of Personal Investing
With the proliferation of the Internet and continued expansion of online investment tools, the role of a certified investment advisor is now of crucial importance. Personal investors have access to more information than they ever have before, but wading through the data to find that path to success still requires the eye of a trained…
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Are you Gambling or Investing?
We’ve all heard the old adage that investing in the market is the same thing as gambling. With America’s #1 wagering event, the Super Bowl, still fresh in our memories, it seems like a good time to take a look at the truth behind that statement. According to mint.com, $87.5 million worth of legal bets…
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Stockpicking?
There are so many unknown variables when picking individual stocks (literally trillions), that is why it is impossible to consistently guess which ones are going to go up or when they are going to go down. The lure for stock speculators is similar to the gambler… the excitement that is felt and experienced when they…
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Wednesday Wisdom from Mark Matson
Should investors try to predict the future? “I always have to remind investors to stop playing God. Specifically that means stop trying to predict the market, and stop trying to forecast the market. Above all, it means stop trying to find anyone else who says they can do these things, because anyone who tells you…
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Mark Matson on Prudent Investing
The complexity of investing and the overwhelming tendency to perpetuate self-destructive investing behavior make it seem only natural to seek professional help. Many Americans turn to financial planners, brokers, or fee-based money managers. But are these professionals as a whole any better than Main Street investors when it comes to following the simple rules of…
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Matson on Investor Courage
Trying to play God with the financial markets is highly destructive. So don’t try it. In the end, you will guess wrong. Instead, have the long-term courage to take the long view and stick to your plan. Know that courage doesn’t meant the absence of fear. Courage means feeling the fear and doing the right…
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Wednesday Wisdom from Main Street Money
Matson On Market Bubbles Losing money in bubbles is not just something that happens to “dumb” people or “other people.” It can happen to the most brilliant of people, it can happen to you, and maybe it has in the past, and it can literally destroy your life savings. No one knows where the next…
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Elections Impact on the Market
Now that the election is over, investors are wondering what the future has in store for their portfolios. The reality is that while elections may have short term impacts on the markets, over the long run, the impact is minimal. A Free Market System is based on capitalism, which always finds a way to thrive.…
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Words of Wisdom from Main Street Money
Becoming a Seasoned Investor Seasoned in my mind, means several things, such as: Being able to withstand physical hardship, strain, or exposure. Being able to bear up under hard times. to be competent with a skill or ability. When you are seasoned, you can see the truth about a situation. You are not naive. Naive…
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How to Prepare your Portfolio for the Unknown
Unless you’ve been living under a rock since New Year’s Day, you should be well aware of the tumultuous events that have been taking place around the world – the disaster in Japan and the uproar in the Middle East and North Africa are just a few global measures that are causing economic changes around…