Should We Be Trying to Learn To Invest?

Laurie Frederiksen on

Sometimes life is disappointing.

You work hard and try to do the right thing and sometimes something unexpected and damaging that is out of your control happens and wipes out or undermines your progress.

So you have to decide, do you go forward or change direction entirely?

Sometimes the best that can be said of the situation is that it is an opportunity for personal growth.

Investing is like this. Sometimes our results are a function of our hard work and other times we’re just caught up in the fallout from things beyond our control like Enron or the collapse of the banking system.

So, should we give up trying? That’s a legitimate question.

I guess it comes down to more than practicality. I personally enjoy the process of investing. I like learning about the companies and the different business models. I like learning about and understanding the macro and micro economic forces that are affecting the world. I like feeling like I have a certain amount of expertise to use to make personal financial decisions about my finances and my future. I also like the challenge of trying to be successful at it.

I don’t know how to move forward without starting with an assumption that there are more positive than negative possibilities in the future. I’ve been around long enough to know that things proceed in fits and starts rather than in smooth straight lines. For the moment, I’m going to continue to assume the overall trend will be positive and that spending time working on investing is a good investment of my time and energy.

How about you?

Laurie Frederiksen

www.bivio.com

Leo Cardillo on

Well, folks, my Investment Club Committee was meeting at my house and I had the market on line and projected on the big screen as the bottom fell out of the markets....What a day!

We came away from this roller-coaster day with a simple buy order for Chubb Insurance, a quality company.

Our club portfolio has shed about 8% since late April...brutal. I lost over $12,000 in my 401(k) and that was just today - about 10% total since 26 April. Ugly.

For all of the reasons that Laurie mentioned, I am personally ready for future investing, both with my club and in my own portfolio. There is no safe place to hide. I do not know anyone that can time the market, let alone anticipate a meltdown like today. In the days ahead, I expect to buy in my portfolio. I look forward to sharing and hearing the thoughts and actions of others on the Club Cafe'.

Best Regards,

Leo

From: club_cafe@bivio.com [mailto:club_cafe@bivio.com] On Behalf Of Laurie Frederiksen
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2010 1:41 PM
To: 'The Club Cafe'
Subject: club_cafe: Should We Be Trying to Learn To Invest?

Sometimes life is disappointing.

You work hard and try to do the right thing and sometimes something unexpected and damaging that is out of your control happens and wipes out or undermines your progress.

So you have to decide, do you go forward or change direction entirely?

Sometimes the best that can be said of the situation is that it is an opportunity for personal growth.

Investing is like this. Sometimes our results are a function of our hard work and other times we’re just caught up in the fallout from things beyond our control like Enron or the collapse of the banking system.

So, should we give up trying? That’s a legitimate question.

I guess it comes down to more than practicality. I personally enjoy the process of investing. I like learning about the companies and the different business models. I like learning about and understanding the macro and micro economic forces that are affecting the world. I like feeling like I have a certain amount of expertise to use to make personal financial decisions about my finances and my future. I also like the challenge of trying to be successful at it.

I don’t know how to move forward without starting with an assumption that there are more positive than negative possibilities in the future. I’ve been around long enough to know that things proceed in fits and starts rather than in smooth straight lines. For the moment, I’m going to continue to assume the overall trend will be positive and that spending time working on investing is a good investment of my time and energy.

How about you?

Laurie Frederiksen

www.bivio.com

spugnik on

I'm with you Laurie!!!! What our group has learned in the last year has made us more confident with our club as well as our personal investments. I look forward to learning more!!

Michael Healy
B&H Investments

---- Leo Cardillo <cardillo@bellatlantic.net> wrote:
> Well, folks, my Investment Club Committee was meeting at my house and I had
> the market on line and projected on the big screen as the bottom fell out of
> the markets....What a day!
>
> We came away from this roller-coaster day with a simple buy order for Chubb
> Insurance, a quality company.
>
> Our club portfolio has shed about 8% since late April...brutal. I lost over
> $12,000 in my 401(k) and that was just today - about 10% total since 26
> April. Ugly.
>
> For all of the reasons that Laurie mentioned, I am personally ready for
> future investing, both with my club and in my own portfolio. There is no
> safe place to hide. I do not know anyone that can time the market, let alone
> anticipate a meltdown like today. In the days ahead, I expect to buy in my
> portfolio. I look forward to sharing and hearing the thoughts and actions of
> others on the Club Cafe'.
>
> Best Regards,
>
> Leo
>
> _____
>
> From: club_cafe@bivio.com [mailto:club_cafe@bivio.com] On Behalf Of Laurie
> Frederiksen
> Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2010 1:41 PM
> To: 'The Club Cafe'
> Subject: club_cafe: Should We Be Trying to Learn To Invest?
>
>
>
> Sometimes life is disappointing.
>
>
>
> You work hard and try to do the right thing and sometimes something
> unexpected and damaging that is out of your control happens and wipes out or
> undermines your progress.
>
>
>
> So you have to decide, do you go forward or change direction entirely?
>
>
>
> Sometimes the best that can be said of the situation is that it is an
> opportunity for personal growth.
>
>
>
> Investing is like this. Sometimes our results are a function of our hard
> work and other times we're just caught up in the fallout from things beyond
> our control like Enron or the collapse of the banking system.
>
>
>
> So, should we give up trying? That's a legitimate question.
>
>
>
> I guess it comes down to more than practicality. I personally enjoy the
> process of investing. I like learning about the companies and the different
> business models. I like learning about and understanding the macro and
> micro economic forces that are affecting the world. I like feeling like I
> have a certain amount of expertise to use to make personal financial
> decisions about my finances and my future. I also like the challenge of
> trying to be successful at it.
>
>
>
> I don't know how to move forward without starting with an assumption that
> there are more positive than negative possibilities in the future. I've
> been around long enough to know that things proceed in fits and starts
> rather than in smooth straight lines. For the moment, I'm going to
> continue to assume the overall trend will be positive and that spending time
> working on investing is a good investment of my time and energy.
>
>
>
> How about you?
>
>
>
> Laurie Frederiksen
>
> www.bivio.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
>