curious cat

More Investors Are Saying Bye-Bye to Buy and Hold

hmmm, it wasn't so long ago that everyone was coming up to me to announce they were becoming realtors. look how well that turned out for them. on the other hand, lincoln used to tell a story about a lawyer who was getting ready to leave his small town, even though he was the only lawyer there. seems that there wasn't enough business to keep him going. he was just about to pack it in,... when another lawyer moved into town. maybe there is an optimum number of people who can profit from market volatility at any given time.

i was watching a very successful fund manager on tv last night, who said that he is 100% long. he said that people put their money in his funds for him to invest, to add to their diversification, not for him to time the market. sometimes, defining your function makes it easier for you. we need these designated drivers to remind us of what's important. to get home safely, you must drive well, regardless of which road you take.

E*Trade: Primed To Turn Around?

for those of you willing to read this far down, let me add a short personal testimonial. i have had an investment and trading account with etrade for years. i also have brokerage accounts at schwab and others. i was literally amazed that anyone jumped ship when they thought etrade was being attacked. their service and rates are that much better.

in addition, my credit is excellent and just over a year ago, i was shopping for a $300+ mortgage. although i was a good customer with a net worth that easily covered the mortgage, i still had many forms to complete and much evidence to provide. despite good cutomer service, i was unable to get my lowest rate from etrade. i was able to beat them twice locally. this suggests to me that their mortgage department was not as aggressive as others and they were extremely cautious lenders.

disclosure: i do not own stock in etrade.