Goals

[Niketennis1]

what is everyones monthly, quarterly, and yearly goal for percentage gains each year? I'm actually up 4.4% in a little more than 1 month. I was actually down about 12% but thankfully the market has turned around and I've made money on emc and siri. list you investment strategy too. I'm a speculative/agressive buyer because I want to make as much money as possible to help my college payments in a few years. I've invested in a few penny stocks but will probably never or very limitedly buy them anymore because they are very unpredictable and hard to make money off of.

[aiki14]

what is everyones monthly, quarterly, and yearly goal for percentage gains each year? I'm actually up 4.4% in a little more than 1 month. I was actually down about 12% but thankfully the market has turned around and I've made money on emc and siri. list you investment strategy too. I'm a speculative/agressive buyer because I want to make as much money as possible to help my college payments in a few years. I've invested in a few penny stocks but will probably never or very limitedly buy them anymore because they are very unpredictable and hard to make money off of.

That's a great question. I don't do time goals, it drives me crazy. I do % goals and look for a specific result and move on. It prevents performance driven mania, where I have to to take on more risk to reach some arbitrary result in a shrinking time frame.
I do however hold my professional money managers to benchmarks, if you want my money give me alpha or give me your bosses number.
I trade on momentum, believe in market psychology, equally weight technical and fundamental analysis and I screen in that order. I would say I am an aggressive trader, overly bullish by nature, sensible due to absorbing much pain, and I believe working harder is the only way to outcompete the smarter, more well healed people who play in the market.
My goal is to make as much money as possible to help with my two daughters college payments then I want to retire in Tasmania on a hobby farm near Mt. Wellington.

[madcowdisease]

My goals are usually unrealistic as I would like to gain 50-100% each year. But, year-to-date I am up 27% (realized) in my Roth and in my trading account I am up over 30% (unrealized).

Another goal of mine is to contribute the maximum allowed under current law to my Roth as well as contribute $500-1000/month to my trading account. My trading account took a big hit this year as I used gains to partially pay for my wedding as that is why my now wife and I originally opened it. Since we didn't drain it completely I'd like to contribute the aforementioned amount and grow it as stated in the first paragraph to use it as a taditional 20% down payment on a house.

Only time will tell if I'm successful but any year I can beat the S&P500 I will take it (which has been every year thus far).

As for strategy, I don't subscribe to one theory or another though I do stay away from momentum for the most part as I am always fearful I'll be left holding the bag. I like to value invest by using technical parameters combined with due diligence in the financial reports. I also incorporate a little income investing with high yield dividend payers in a well diversified portfolio. But overwhelmingly, I tend to focus on a few stocks that I have grown familiar with over the past 3 years and feel I know their behavior, both price action and response to macroeconomic phenomena, so I am literally able to "buy low, sell high" when they are unjustifiably sold off.

[Luc1Grunt]

2% of trades (active trading) purchase totals.

3% avg. from dividends (taxed at low rate).

10% growth on long holds (over a year for tax purposes) per year. Target readjusted based on current fundamentals and future growth.

4.5% or better on any idle money (MM).

[madcowdisease]

2% of trades (active trading) purchase totals.

3% avg. from dividends (taxed at low rate).

10% growth on long holds (over a year for tax purposes) per year. Target readjusted based on current fundamentals and future growth.

4.5% or better on any idle money (MM).

The last line from above is one I would like to incorprate into my practices. I almost always have 10% of my portfolio in cash, often times more, as I wait for the right moment to put it to work. It's not always sitting idle but there is a fairly constant rotation of buy/sell activity that leaves this money sidelined. How might one go about earning a greater return than the 1/2% paid out by the broker on this capital in their trading account? You have MM in parentheses; does that mean money market?

[Luc1Grunt]

The last line from above is one I would like to incorprate into my practices. I almost always have 10% of my portfolio in cash, often times more, as I wait for the right moment to put it to work. It's not always sitting idle but there is a fairly constant rotation of buy/sell activity that leaves this money sidelined. How might one go about earning a greater return than the 1/2% paid out by the broker on this capital in their trading account? You have MM in parentheses; does that mean money market?

Yes, money market. Balance size determines the rate in brokerage accounts. Over 25k usually pulls between 3.75 and 4.25 dep[ending on brokers.

I pull profits from active trading from the trading account monthly and if that money is going to be idle (short term), it goes to a MM account at a higher rate until I use it. I do not compound the trading account, that is stricly for income/higher rate of return (and the obviously higher amount of my time).

ING/HSBC are great for higher rates if you have a smaller amount of cash because you STILL get the good rate (4.5 to 4.9 even as low as $100).

I try to get the youngsters into them (ING/HSBC) early as they normally have a small account size but could use the liquidity and higher rate.

1/2% is crap and I feel raped that my checking account pays it. I may move checking into a higher MM account (ING), but it is such a pain in the ass.

Hope that helped!! Squeeze every drop, it is yours and you earned it!

[BuyOnDips]

“Rule No.1: Never lose money. Rule No.2: Never forget rule No.1.”

- Warren Buffet

Just let your winners run and cut losers quickly. Cutting losers quickly is extremely hard for almost all investors. If you can overcome that problem(selling small losing positions before they turn into large losing positions), you'll easily meet your goals.

[optimus25]

what is everyones monthly, quarterly, and yearly goal for percentage gains each year? I'm actually up 4.4% in a little more than 1 month. I was actually down about 12% but thankfully the market has turned around and I've made money on emc and siri. list you investment strategy too. I'm a speculative/agressive buyer because I want to make as much money as possible to help my college payments in a few years. I've invested in a few penny stocks but will probably never or very limitedly buy them anymore because they are very unpredictable and hard to make money off of.

An equally interesting and complicated question. I agree with Aiki on setting percentage gains and its many pitfalls. Percentage goals on a yearly basis are palpatable and for me is an arbitrary number based on how the overall stock market is doing. In most cases (as I manage three separate portfolios for me and my wife) I don't worry about the returns month to month. I do as best as I can with my trading and the gains will take care of itself. At year end, I'll do an analysis of all the trades I've done and figure out all the mistakes I've made and things I need to work on in the coming year. Though I have a spreadsheet that tracks my investment returns since 1999, I found that it is only helpful when you look at 1 year and life of the portfolio. Why do I keep three separate portfolios? I have one for retirement so the investments I choose is for the long haul and the securities are geared towards growth. I have one for my taxable account and in this account I take advantage of qualified dividend paying companies which are taxed at the 15% rate. And lastly, I have a speculative account which as margin and option trading capabilities.

In trading, I only do momentum trades. Investing and trading are two different issues. You should only trade what you can afford to lose.

[optimus25]

BTW, my goals each year is to make as much money as possible. Like I said, the percentages will take care of itself.

[optimus25]

My goals are usually unrealistic as I would like to gain 50-100% each year. But, year-to-date I am up 27% (realized) in my Roth and in my trading account I am up over 30% (unrealized).

Another goal of mine is to contribute the maximum allowed under current law to my Roth as well as contribute $500-1000/month to my trading account. My trading account took a big hit this year as I used gains to partially pay for my wedding as that is why my now wife and I originally opened it. Since we didn't drain it completely I'd like to contribute the aforementioned amount and grow it as stated in the first paragraph to use it as a taditional 20% down payment on a house.

Only time will tell if I'm successful but any year I can beat the S&P500 I will take it (which has been every year thus far).

As for strategy, I don't subscribe to one theory or another though I do stay away from momentum for the most part as I am always fearful I'll be left holding the bag. I like to value invest by using technical parameters combined with due diligence in the financial reports. I also incorporate a little income investing with high yield dividend payers in a well diversified portfolio. But overwhelmingly, I tend to focus on a few stocks that I have grown familiar with over the past 3 years and feel I know their behavior, both price action and response to macroeconomic phenomena, so I am literally able to "buy low, sell high" when they are unjustifiably sold off.

Congratulations on getting married. I remember last year we were discussing ANF and you mentioned your girlfriend working there. Boy, time sure does fly.

[Luc1Grunt]

“Rule No.1: Never lose money. Rule No.2: Never forget rule No.1.”

- Warren Buffet

Just let your winners run and cut losers quickly. Cutting losers quickly is extremely hard for almost all investors. If you can overcome that problem(selling small losing positions before they turn into large losing positions), you'll easily meet your goals.

What does any of this have to do with this thread? Maybe I missed a question about "deep thoughts on money management"?

Good post, but wrong thread. :oops:

[optimus25]

What does any of this have to do with this thread? Maybe I missed a question about "deep thoughts on money management"?

Good post, but wrong thread. :oops:

I think niketennis asked about stock strategies. The quote by Warren Buffett is succinct and equally powerful.

[Luc1Grunt]

I think niketennis asked about stock strategies. The quote by Warren Buffett is succinct and equally powerful.

I thought it was about "goals".

My bad. 8)

[optimus25]

I thought it was about "goals".

My bad. 8)

It is about "goals" but nike asked a secondary question on his post. :D

[madcowdisease]

Congratulations on getting married. I remember last year we were discussing ANF and you mentioned your girlfriend working there. Boy, time sure does fly.

Thank you, sir. And good memory. She's still designing for them and we made our money off the stock. We sold her company shares back in Autumn for a nice gain. I still track it from time to time but I am waiting for it to decline in price (P/E) before I venture back in.

[chinaman711]

Bet you sold and put it in BQI : )

[Luc1Grunt]

A whopping 5 posters to this thread.

Interesting.

:confused:

[madcowdisease]

Bet you sold and put it in BQI : )

I am overweight BQI, yes. I also had a sizeable position in it's more proven brethren SU which I just cashed out of last week.