Am I really an imposter?

No. I’m not.

And probably you have asked yourself the same question many times and don’t feel bad about that, I gotta tell you a secret, I have asked myself this question so many times and not only when I’m awake but also when I’m dreaming.

Take a look at your past, remember all the hours you used to learn and study, all the sleepless nights figuring out things and maybe all that effort wasn’t paid at that moment but after so many years you’re being recompensed for all the effort you put.

Don’t feel bad about it, enjoy the ride and focus on getting even better.

Sell the winners? Sell the losers?

One of the first questions you have when you begin investing on stocks is: When should I sell? and there’s not right or wrong answer to this question, it always depends, but lets about the two main reasons why peoples sells their stocks:

– Sell when the stock’s price is high (a winner)

But why would you sell your winners? if you did your research and everything still makes sense, wouldn’t make sense to hold on it?
One of the reasons to sell on your winners is that the growth in price is too high and doesn’t make sense, in that case probably it’s a good idea to sell and invest on another company.

– Sell when the stock’s price is low (a loser)

This one makes more sense, but as usual it depends, why did the stock price decreased?
is it a problem with the company in the long term? Then is probably a good idea to sell. Is it temporary issue or bad media? It will pass and the value will recover, in this case it’s better to hold.

As mentioned it will always depend, but don’t let your emotions take control of you and don’t make what Mr. Market wants you to do. Follow your principals and remember that the market always catch up with the company’s real value.

The trick is not to learn to trust your gut feelings, but rather to discipline yourself to ignore them. Stand by your stocks as long as the fundamental story of the company hasn’t changed.

Lynch, Peter. One Up On Wall Street: How To Use What You Already Know To Make Money In (p. 82). Simon & Schuster. Kindle Edition.

But investing isn’t about beating others at their game. It’s about controlling yourself at your own game.

The Intelligent Investor, Rev. Ed (p. 219). HarperCollins e-books. Kindle Edition.

The faster you run, the behinder you get

The intelligent investor should conclude that IPO does not stand only for “initial public offering.” More accurately, it is also shorthand for:

– It’s Probably Overpriced
– Imaginary Profits Only
– Insiders’ Private Opportunity or
– Idiotic, Preposterous, and Outrageous.

The Intelligent Investor, Rev. Ed (p. 154). HarperCollins e-books. Kindle Edition.

A long-term investor is the only kind of investor there is

Don’t just do something, stand there. It’s time for everyone to acknowledge that the term “long-term investor” is redundant. A long-term investor is the only kind of investor there is. Someone who can’t hold on to stocks for more than a few months at a time is doomed to end up not as a victor but as a victim.

The Intelligent Investor, Rev. Ed (p. 150). HarperCollins e-books. Kindle Edition.

Life’s a ride

This is a reminder for myself, Life’s a ride, enjoy it, fall in love with it.

But the truth is far less interesting than any of these explanations. The truth is, I thought I wanted something, but it turns out I didn’t. End of story.

I wanted the reward and not the struggle. I wanted the result and not the process. I was in love with not the fight but only the victory.

And life doesn’t work that way.

Who you are is defined by what you’re willing to struggle for. People who enjoy the struggles of a gym are the ones who run triathlons and have chiseled abs and can bench-press a small house. People who enjoy long workweeks and the politics of the corporate ladder are the ones who fly to the top of it. People who enjoy the stresses and uncertainties of the starving artist lifestyle are ultimately the ones who live it and make it.

The subtle art of not giving a f*ck