Self Improvement Site
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
On The Internet! Take the Self Improvement Tour
Articles from Steve Selengut | Selfgrowth.com
- ***Modern Portfolio Theory Assumptions --- The Root Of All Evil - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2011 from Steve SelengutRumor has it that a group of economists were sitting around their super-computers one day, smoking a "pot-pourri" of perfect statistics, when they came to the fairly-easy-to-support conclusion that not too many professional investment managers were able to "beat the market averages" ...
Views: 3630 - Predicting Stock Market Movements - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2008 from Steve SelengutI've been thinking about starting a stock market prediction business. Clearly, there is a huge market for timely and accurate information of this type, and just as clearly, predicting the future is much easier than dealing with the realities of whatever is actually happening at the moment. If ...
Views: 2974(1 vote) - Stock and Bond Trading as a Conservative Investment Strategy - by Submitted on May 29, 2007 from Steve SelengutIt's likely that either curiosity or skepticism led you to this article, and I would agree that, for most individual investors, trading is approached in a totally speculative manner. Stock trading, in its more popular forms (Day Trading, Swing Trading, Penny Stock Speculating, etc.) includes ...
Views: 2543(1 vote) - ***Investment Grade Value Stocks (IGVS) Bargain Stock Monitor - by Submitted on Jun 30, 2011 from Steve SelengutThe Bargain Stock Monitor is one of three market statistics used as performance expectation analyzers for Market Cycle Investment Management "Model Portfolios". It is derived from the Month End Value Stock Watchlist screening program which identifies Investment Grade Value Stocks trading at ...
Views: 2328(1 vote) - ***Stock Market Corrections Are Beautiful Things - Shopping At The Gap - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2011 from Steve SelengutA correction is a beautiful thing, simply the flip side of a rally, big or small. Theoretically, even technically I'm told, corrections adjust equity prices to their actual value or "support levels". In reality, it's much easier than that. Prices go down because of speculator reactions to ...
Views: 2236(9 votes) - Investors Review Their Best Investment Book - by Submitted on Jan 30, 2009 from Steve Selengut"My wife was trying to sleep and she's waking up and saying "What's wrong with you?" What could I tell her, that I was cracking up over a financial book---?" "As I approach retirement in a few years, I'm very encouraged by the cash flow my portfolio can generate. If I can generate nearly 8% ...
Views: 2223(1 vote) - Working Capital Model Investing – The QDI - by Submitted on Jan 04, 2009 from Steve SelengutCrash! The 2007 thru 2008 financial crisis halved 401(k), IRA, and Mutual Fund values in a matter of months. For many, retirement dates had to be pushed back; for others, new jobs had to be found. The tragic flaw? No income allocation in the investment program. Market value builds egos; income ...
Views: 2093(3 votes) - Compound Stock Earnings Programs - Caveat Investor - by Submitted on May 29, 2008 from Steve SelengutThe caller seemed surprised that I had never heard about Compound Stock Earnings Programs, or CSEs. "People are earning three to six percent per month with little or no risk", she continued, "I'm thinking of attending a seminar". A wise man once said: "If it sounds too good to be true, it ...
Views: 2085(18 votes) - ***Old Fashioned Equity Investing - Building A Better Mousetrap - by Submitted on Apr 27, 2011 from Steve SelengutWhat if you could anticipate changes in market direction? What if you could minimize your financial risk while actively managing your portfolio? What if you could harness the power of market, economic, and interest rate cycles and use it to your financial advantage? You can, while increasing ...
Views: 2061(25 votes) - Working Capital Model Investing - The Process - by Submitted on Dec 29, 2008 from Steve SelengutMost people enter the investment process tip first. They hear something, grab an idea from a popular blog, accept a Cramerism or some motley foolishness, and think that they are making investment decisions. Rarely, will the right-now, instant-gratification, Internet-generation speculator think ...
Views: 2033(1 vote) - Filling the Investment Education Void with Web Workshops - by Submitted on Mar 10, 2009 from Steve SelengutNow more than ever, you can appreciate the need for comprehensive investment education. All of a sudden, fifty percent of your nest egg has disappeared--- and the bad news? There never was a plan for income generation. Ouch! Dwelling on coulda's, woulda's, and shoulda's isn't going to rebuild ...
Views: 2027(29 votes) - A Quick Jolt for the Auto Economy, Plus Ten - by Submitted on Dec 18, 2008 from Steve SelengutThirty Billion Dollars is a huge amount of money, but it translates into less than $100 per US person--- a small price that we should all be willing to pay to give the Automobile Industry time to restructure itself and to save a few million jobs. Give them the green, but have them pay it back ...
Views: 2026(2 votes) - Relax, A Volatile Stock Market Is Your Dearest Friend - by Submitted on Jun 27, 2006 from Steve SelengutMost people never forget their first love. I'll never forget my first trading profit! But the $600 (1970 dollars) I pocketed on Royal Dutch Petroleum was not nearly as significant as the conceptual realization it signaled! I was amazed that someone would pay me that much more for my stock than ...
Views: 2017(1 vote) - Retirement Income Investment Planning - Step One - by Submitted on Sep 08, 2008 from Steve SelengutYour retirement income investment plan starts now, right now, no matter how old or well heeled you happen to be. Step One is to understand what a retirement plan is, and to identify the three large numbers you need to keep track of while you are developing your stash. With these three totals on ...
Views: 2014(1 vote) - ***Investment Grade Value Stock (IGVS) Expectation Analyzer - by Submitted on Aug 12, 2011 from Steve SelengutNo investor should ever be surprised by the changes in market value that appear on his or her monthly account statements. In general, media noise throughout the month should lead to a feel for what has been going on and investors should understand that the prices of investment securities, ...
Views: 2006(14 votes) - Investment Grade Value Stocks At Highest Levels Ever --- What To Do About It - by Submitted on May 13, 2011 from Steve SelengutThe IGVSI is a barometer of a small but elite sector of the stock market called Investment Grade Value Stocks. Some IGVSs are included in all averages and indices, but even the well dressed Dow Jones Industrial Average includes several issues that are well below Investment Grade and very few ...
Views: 2001(12 votes) - Value Stock Investing - The November Syndrome On Drugs - by Submitted on Nov 18, 2008 from Steve SelengutEvery fall, especially in opportunity rich markets like this, I encourage investors to think about some year-end strategies that make the final calendar quarter a special time in all markets. Several forces are at work, all of which have links to conventional Wall Street wisdom; none of which ...
Views: 1966(1 vote) - Wall Street Garage Sale Produces Closed End Fund Bargains - by Submitted on Oct 28, 2008 from Steve SelengutThere's a bright light at the end of the tunnel--- finally. Most of the really well respected, long term investors are advising their audiences to hang in there, to stop the panic selling, and to look for the great companies that have withstood the economic downturns of the past. Buffet, Bogle, ...
Views: 1960(1 vote) - ***Managed Closed End Funds --- Solid Income Investments in Liquid Form - by Submitted on May 18, 2011 from Steve SelengutA Closed End Fund (CEF) is a publicly traded investment company that invests in a variety of securities such as stocks, bonds, preferred stocks, real estate, mortgages, oil and gas royalties, etc. The variety of sectors, classifications, and geographical representation is every bit as confusing ...
Views: 1955(23 votes) - ***Investment Management - Put More Smart Cash In Your Future - by Submitted on Dec 03, 2008 from Steve SelengutThe stock market is a dynamic place where investors can consistently make reasonable returns on their capital if they comply with the basic principles of the endeavor and if they don't measure their progress too frequently against irrelevant indices. The income securities market is most often ...
Views: 1952(11 votes) - Who Created The Financial Crisis - How And Why - by Submitted on Mar 26, 2009 from Steve Selengut"The Big Takeover" by Matt Taibbi is probably the best article written to date explaining the financial crisis and how we got to where we are now. Taibbi's necessarily lengthy article explains the problems, names the "poipetrators", and exposes all of the conflicts of interest--- absolutely a ...
Views: 1950(1 vote) - Golf and Investing: Tin Cup Lessons - by Submitted on May 22, 2009 from Steve SelengutBenjamin Graham was an economist, financial analyst, and professional value investor. He was one of the first to advise investors to look beyond the media hype and confusion to find undervalued stocks that would become part of a diversified portfolio. Roy McAvoy is a fictional professional ...
Views: 1940(2 votes) - The President's $10,000,000,000,000 Economic Stimulus Package - by Submitted on Feb 24, 2009 from Steve SelengutFor homeowners: Cut the interest rate on all mortgage loans by 50 basis points and extend the payment schedule by three to five years. Convert all variable rate loans to fixed, at prevailing rates, and extend the payment schedule by six to ten years. No fees, points or charges tolerated. More ...
Views: 1928(1 vote) - Golf and Investing Lessons: Working The Ball - by Submitted on Jun 17, 2009 from Steve SelengutI think it was the immortal Ben Hogan who quipped: I can put "left" on the ball and I can put "right" on the ball--- "straight" is essentially an accident. Most amateur golfers would make a slightly different observation. We can hit the ball left or right with no problem; we just have no idea ...
Views: 1921(15 votes) - Quarterly Window Dressing - A Recurrent Wall Street Scam - by Submitted on Jun 25, 2008 from Steve Selengut"The time has come the walrus said, to talk of many things": Of corrections--portfolios--- and window dressing--- of market cycles--- wizards--- and reality. Quarterly portfolio window dressing is one of many immortal Jaberwock-like creatures that roam the granite canyons of the Manhattan ...
Views: 1911(1 vote) - ***Fundamentals of Golf and Investing: Back to Basics - by Submitted on May 06, 2011 from Steve SelengutIs it luck or skill that gets us to the goals and objectives we set for ourselves--- gimmicks and software programs or practice and understanding? How many golfers are still using the putter they started with decades ago at a nine-hole cow pasture? How many of you are still bouncing between ...
Views: 1875(27 votes) - Last Bank Standing - The Wall Street Mega-Crash - by Submitted on Oct 01, 2008 from Steve SelengutDateline Washington, October 19th (get it?) 2010: the Peoples Bank & Trust of America has now established itself as the only bank of any kind in the USA, totally owned and managed by the US House of Representatives. A 2/3 majority must now approve all investment banking transactions; your ...
Views: 1874(1 vote) - Stock Market Meltdown – Watching Rome Burn - by Submitted on Sep 23, 2008 from Steve SelengutBoth presidential candidates want to crucify SEC Chairman Cox for failing to control our creative financial institutions. But rumor has it that Congress specifically excluded the devilish derivatives from SEC purview. Let's fire the right bunch of "poips" for a change! Scary markets are brought ...
Views: 1873 - Investment Performance Evaluation Re-Evaluated: Part One - by Submitted on Apr 23, 2009 from Steve SelengutIt matters not what lines, numbers, indices, or gurus you worship, you just can't know for certain where the stock market is going or when it will change direction. Too much investor time and analytical effort is wasted trying to predict course corrections--- even more is squandered comparing ...
Views: 1851(11 votes) - Ten Common Investment Errors: Stocks, Bonds, & Management - by Submitted on Apr 28, 2006 from Steve SelengutInvestment mistakes happen for a multitude of reasons, including the fact that decisions are made under conditions of uncertainty that are irresponsibly downplayed by market gurus and institutional spokespersons. Losing money on an investment may not be the result of a mistake, and not all ...
Views: 1830(2 votes) - Investment Politics 2008: What's (left) In Your Wallet? - by Submitted on Apr 09, 2007 from Steve SelengutThe parade of promises is marching down Main Street. For too many months to come, politicians of all descriptions, parties, and ideologies will be courting our votes... they have the cure for all that is wrong in the world, they tell us. With crystal clear hindsight, every candidate criticizes ...
Views: 1822(3 votes) - ***Income Investing: Go Ask Alice - by Submitted on May 18, 2011 from Steve SelengutJefferson Airplane has never, ever, been mistaken for a band of financial advisors, but the White Rabbit lyrics can be incredibly instructional to the generation of investors who experienced the classic first hand --- as a description of their own college days' lifestyle. If only they had heeded ...
Views: 1817(10 votes) - Investment Management Strategy: Seven Principles for Success - by Submitted on Sep 27, 2006 from Steve SelengutMany Investment Gurus, with a straight face and a gleam in their eye, will insist that successful investing is a function of expansive research, skillful market timing, and detailed technical analysis. Others emphasize fundamental information about companies, industries, and markets. But trends ...
Views: 1809(2 votes) - Golf and Investing Lessons: Fundamentals - by Submitted on Jun 09, 2009 from Steve SelengutIs it luck or skill that gets us to the goals and objectives we set for ourselves--- gimmicks and software programs or practice and understanding? How many golfers are still using the putter they started with decades ago at a nine-hole cow pasture? How many of you are still bouncing between ...
Views: 1797(3 votes) - "Jim Dandy To The Rescue"--- Of The Economy - by Submitted on Jan 28, 2009 from Steve SelengutMore than fifty years ago, LaVern Baker & The Gliders, brought Jim Dandy into the fray to lasso runaway horses, dry the tears in little girls' eyes, and to save special mermaids from the hooks of villainous fishermen. (Black Oak Arkansas' rendition on You Tube will help you understand what your ...
Views: 1795(1 vote) - Value Stock Crash Reaches 50 Per Cent - by Submitted on Dec 20, 2007 from Steve SelengutPerhaps this (totally ignored by the media) snippet will pique your attention: on December 18, 2007, nearly 50% of all Investment Grade Value Stocks were down an average of over 30% from their 52-week highs... the Dow and the S & P 500 had fallen just 7%! One would think that there would be a ...
Views: 1790(1 vote) - ***Harnessing Stock Market Volatility - by Submitted on Nov 11, 2011 from Steve SelengutIf you were to Google "Stock Market Volatility", you would find a wide range of observations, conversations, reports, analyses, recipes, critiques, predictions, alarms, and causal confusion. Books have been written; indices and measuring tools have been created; rationales and conclusions have ...
Views: 1772 - The Dow, Your Portfolio, And Aliens - by Submitted on Oct 18, 2007 from Steve SelengutThere are two extremely good reasons why your portfolio may not be "performing" (whatever that means) either as well as you would like or as well as your buddies say that they have been doing... since last May anyway. But let's define our terms before digging any deeper. Most of the time, ...
Views: 1772(1 vote) - Hedge Funds: An Under the Radar Wall Street Con - by Submitted on Apr 02, 2009 from Steve SelengutThe other day, with the market giving up about a third of its March gain in DJIA points, I went looking through my favorite market stats to see if any remaining profits could be pounced upon. Typically, profit possibilities can be identified quickly on NYSE lists of the largest dollar and ...
Views: 1765(8 votes) - ***How Do You Spell Correction? (August, 2007) - by Submitted on Aug 25, 2011 from Steve SelengutDuring every correction, I encourage investors to avoid the destructive inertia that results from trying to determine: "How low can we go?" and/or "How long will this last?" Investors who add to their portfolios during downturns invariably experience higher values during the next advance. Yes, ...
Views: 1764(1 vote) - ***What Stock Market Correction - Brainwashing Book Strategies Take the Sting Out --- Again! - by Submitted on Aug 12, 2011 from Steve Selengut"The Brainwashing of The American Investor", now in its second edition, provides you with a proven methodology for successful personal investment portfolio management. Step by step instructions for asset allocation, security selection universe creation, diversification, and profit taking are ...
Views: 1760(4 votes) - Crisis Investing - A Three-Pronged WCM Strategy - by Submitted on Jan 19, 2009 from Steve SelengutOne of the great things about being a professional investor is the opportunity one has to apply his or her long-term experience to the investment environment that is unfolding (or coming unglued) in the present. If nothing else, most successful investors develop a consistent strategy that ...
Views: 1749(2 votes) - A Capitalist's Social Security, 401(k), and Retirement Plan Reform Program - by Submitted on Nov 26, 2008 from Steve SelengutWhat if there was an easy way to implement a whole new approach to retirement funding, pension planning, and Social Security? Would the politicians be interested? Let's find out. What if the new plan actually reduced payroll taxes, cut prices, created jobs, increased salaries, raised ...
Views: 1720(1 vote) - The Securities Investors' Bill Of Rights (SIBORAP): Part Three - by Submitted on Oct 31, 2008 from Steve SelengutSIBORAP includes these ten specific sections: (1) Product Transparency, (2) Regulation and Education, (3) Protection from Speculators (4) Control of Hedge Funds, (5) Brokerage Account Statements, (6) Retirement Account Investments, (7) Executive Compensation, (8) Corporate Financial Statements, ...
Views: 1711(1 vote) - ***Stock Market Perspective 2011 --- Some Things to Think About - by Submitted on Oct 27, 2011 from Steve SelengutThis won't take long, but think about the message and act accordingly. Never, ever, in the history of the investment world has a major correction in the stock market not been a major buying opportunity --- particularly in Investment Grade Value Stocks (IGVS). Always, every time and ...
Views: 1691(23 votes) - ***Making A Volatile Stock Market Your VBF - by Submitted on Sep 13, 2011 from Steve SelengutMost people never forget their first love. I'll never forget my first trading profit --- but the 600 (1970) dollars I pocketed on Royal Dutch Petroleum was not nearly as significant as the conceptual realization it signaled. I was amazed that someone would pay me that much more for my stock ...
Views: 1676(15 votes) - Wall Street Bailout, Congressional Cover-up, or Sarbanes-Oxley? - by Submitted on Sep 28, 2008 from Steve SelengutEvery new controversy demands a look at similar situations of the past. Just what is a bailout anyway? In the early 80's, Lee Iacocca arranged a government loan and tax concessions to bring Chrysler Corporation back from the brink of bankruptcy--- during the Carter Administration, to save you a ...
Views: 1658(1 vote) - In Value Stock Investing, Quality is Job One - by Submitted on Jun 08, 2006 from Steve SelengutHow much financial bloodshed is necessary before we realize that there is no safe and easy shortcut to investment success? When do we learn that most of our mistakes involve greed, fear, or unrealistic expectations about what we own? Eventually, successful investors begin to allocate assets in a ...
Views: 1652(2 votes) - Amazon.com Investment Book Reviews: Have You Been Brainwashed? - by Submitted on Sep 11, 2008 from Steve SelengutMost popular investment books are published for the already rich and famous, by an industry that has become just too good at the business of selling books. Rarely will a publisher take a chance with the work of an unknown author. Certainly, it's a no brainer to sell a Jim Cramer, Peter Lynch, ...
Views: 1643(1 vote) - Stock Market Corrections Are Beautiful--- And Necessary - by Submitted on Apr 16, 2009 from Steve SelengutEvery correction is the same, a normal downturn in one or more of the markets where we invest. There has never been a correction that has not proven to be an investment opportunity. You can be confident that governments around the world are not going to allow another Great Depression "on their ...
Views: 1634(12 votes)