8 Ways To Make Your Investing Easier & (Hopefully) More Profitable

The investment process is difficult and enormously complex…[This article] offers some observations to make the task a little easier…Most of the concepts are hardly new but bear repeating because they have proven to be VERY important in my experience….

1) Invest/Trade To Match Your Personality

Everyone has their own unique attitude towards risk and volatility. Invest and trade in investment vehicles that reflect your temperament…Assuming more risk than you’re comfortable with is stressful and emotionally destabilizing, which leads to poor decision making. There is an old saying, “if you don’t know who you are the markets is an expensive place to find out.”

2) Reduce Position Size

Position size and diversification are basic risk control tactics. Smaller position size reduces volatility and potential losses on individual positions. I have known professional traders that have notes pasted on top of their quote screens to remind them of this concept.

3) Don’t Trade Around Earnings Announcements

The markets can severely punish the share prices of companies that miss their earnings estimates by even a slight amount so it is best [to]:

• avoid initiating or adding to positions ahead of earnings announcements and,
• if one is thinking of selling a position, it is advisable to do so ahead of an announcement.

4) Invest/Trade Only When There Is A Sound Reason To Do So

There is a natural tendency, among both amateurs and professionals, to establish positions to be “in the game.” The result is overtrading, or the assumption of marginal or poor quality positions. Investment results will improve if one can maintain the discipline to limit participation to situations that have compelling risk/reward.

5) Perfection Is Impossible: Invest/trade With The Odds

As human beings we are fallible, so mistakes are inevitable. As well, even if your analysis is perfect, adverse results can occur through events beyond your control. Since nothing is certain, incorporating probability analysis into your investment process will help to keep the odds in your favour.

6) Trade With A Plan

Before an investment is made the investor should:

1. have a clear understanding of why the investment is being made,
2. know why the current price is favourable,
3. establish at what price the position will be sold if the trade goes bad, and 
4. determine at what price the investment will be sold if the position is profitable.

Of course, once the trade is established the various parameters must be adjusted in response to new information.

7) Trade With Trend

There is an adage, “the trend is your friend,” It is very important to identify the prevailing trend and trade in the direction of that trend. Positions should be established or added to on pullbacks against the major trend.

8) Cut Losses And Let Profits Run

Human psychology tends to encourage investors to both hold on to losing positions in the hopes of recouping the losses and taking quick small profits when they present themselves. This is the absolute opposite of what should be done for profitable investment.

• Establish a maximum loss you are prepared to take on a position and stick to it.
• If a position is profitable it should be held until a reason to sell presents itself, not because it has appreciated an arbitrary amount.

Editor’s Note: The above excerpts* from the original article have been edited ([ ]) and abridged (…) for the sake of clarity and brevity. Also note that this complete paragraph must be included in any re-posting to avoid copyright infringement.

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(*The author’s views and conclusions are unaltered and no personal comments have been included to maintain the integrity of the original article. Furthermore, the views, conclusions and any recommendations offered in this article are not to be construed as an endorsement of such by the editor.)