Lunch Break Investing

Don’t Always Trust the Talking Head on TV

topher — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 02:06:25 +0000

I’ve discussed this before on my site; don’t blindly trust anyone with your money. It’s a solid rule that will keep you from being cheated. Always know what you are getting into and how you will profit from it.

Business Insider has a fantastic graph showing how they think Glenn Beck may have gold scheme. I can’t argue with the facts. He is a doom and gloom guy. Once people are in a panic, it’s easy to sell them gold to guarantee their future finances.

Check the article out here:
Business Insider: Everything you need to know about Glenn Beck Goldline Scheme.

Happy trading!

Handy Dandy Stock Notebook

topher — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:01:36 +0000

I can’t really express to everyone how important it is to have a list of stocks with their buy/sell prices. This week things have been very hectic for me, yet I was able to grab my little notebook and see that one of my stocks hit the buy point. I know it’s very low tech, but nothing beats a small notebook. It’s quick, fast and user friendly. Don’t get me wrong, I love my iPhone 4, but it’s still not going to replace my notebook.

Action time: buy a small notebook to keep with you. Keep a list of stocks you want to buy with their buy and sell prices.

Happy Trading!

Giving to Charity

topher — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 02:20:20 +0000

On my other website (www.littlebuddhaproject.com), I had a week long discussion about charities and the value of giving. I know that this seems to be an odd subject for an investing site, but there is some value for investors too. I’m not talking about just tax right offs.

Let’s be honest, if we don’t have a purpose, it’s difficult to stick with something that can be frustrating (like the stock market). If you find that you are losing purpose for having a portfolio (except money), try trading stocks to give a portion to charity. Pick a good round number and once you profit, donate! I would suggest starting with 20% of the profits.

Giving can be a very rewarding endeavor.

Do you think I’ve lost it? Do you give to charity? Let me know in the comments. Happy trading!

iStockManager for the iPhone/iPad – Review

topher — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 01:29:29 +0000

I sat down at one of my favorite restaurants and had one of my all time favorite meals. I love buffalo chicken fingers and fries! While I was sinfully gorging myself on non-rabbit (i.e. diet food), I took the time to play with a truly awesome free iPhone/iPad app. The iStockManager from T.D. Ameritrade is worth the download.
On my ridiculously short lunch break, I was able to analyze over a dozen stocks from my iPhone. The developers add some amazing features that are useful for those of us who like to trend stocks.

Features Include:
• Batch input of stocks (enter them in one time and click add).
• Various preset date ranges (day, 5 day, 3 months, etc.).
• In the configuration (the gear symbol to the right of the time range), you can set the frequency of the bars in the graph (daily, weekly, etc.).
• Fast and quick application, I was able to switch stocks quickly and view the chart. It didn’t reset the chart configuration each time I viewed the chart (like some apps do). I was able to set my preferred time frame and go.
• Options of line, candle and OHLC.
• Zoomable charts. (Use the “pinch” figure technique to zoom in and out).
Cons:
• I like to see the weekly stock total on my bar charts; this only gives the option for the 3 month time range. There is a work around for this. Just “pinch” your figures outward to zoom the chart out.
• It did crash a few times while I used it.
• To take advantage of all the options; you will need to be a T.D. Ameritrade customer.
Things I would like to see in this app:
• Clear all feature. I put in a dozen stocks to analyze in a batch mode, but then had to delete each individually. It would be nice to be able to start over with one button.
• Allow the stock frequency to show weekly on the other time ranges. Three months is nice, but sometimes it’s important to see more.
I would recommend this to anyone who has an iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad. This app almost tempts me to change over to T.D. Ameritrade. Well, almost.
Get the app here: iStockManager (Opens in iTunes)

Till next time, Happy Trading!

Trading on bad news

topher — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 01:42:37 +0000

I’ve discussed before that you shouldn’t panic on outrageous headlines. Because people do, you can take advantage of this. Bad news could be a good time to add to your portfolio. Do your homework and be sure that the bad news in only temporary. Buy the stock as it recovers from the downward surge. You don’t need hit the exact bottom; in fact it is better to buy when you see the stock recover.
Bad news isn’t always bad news for your portfolio. Happy Trading!

Don’t Panic On Headlines

topher — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 17:41:27 +0000

I’ve been known to only read the headlines of articles only to find out later that it wasn’t exactly true. Don’t make investing decisions on just the headlines alone. Understand the news before you make any buy or sell decisions. The good news in this, people do make quick decisions on just headlines. By understanding the news, good or bad, could help you profit while other people are panicking.

Happy Trading!

Time and Place to Buy a Stock

topher — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 23:23:54 +0000

I always feel like I have to buy a stock during the day. True, if I don’t buy, I can’t profit. Getting in a hurry to buy can only lead to buying the wrong stock. Since, I’m a lunch break investor, I have to be careful which stocks I buy and when. A big word of warning to everyone (myself included), never get in a hurry to buy. Be sure it’s within your buy limit and follows your rules.

Happy Trading!

I’m Back!

topher — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 01:53:23 +0000

Sorry for the lack of update. I needed to take a break, which I recommend to everyone. It’s time to get back to trading stocks. I’m excited about working on this blog again. Join me and let’s explore making ourselves wealthy with the stock market!

Good Luck!

Breaking Trends

topher — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:43:23 +0000

As always, I seem to learn a lesson by losing money. In this case, I was prepared for a trend to break downward. What I wasn’t looking for was a trend to break upward. My new rule, once a trend is broken, UP or DOWN, sell.

JOEZ was set nicely for a good upward trend. I was excited about the chart and the upward movement it was making. I bought it at just the right time (at the bottom of it’s trending cycle). It did everything I expected. Then one day, bang, it jumped 15%. 15%! Yes, what I should have done was sell it. The trend was broken. Unfortunately, I was only tracking a trend that broke it’s trend downward. The next day, bang, 15% loss. I went from a $200 profit to a $6 loss. Of course, my trailing stop loss kicked in and sold.

Moral of the story:

When a trend is broken (up or down), it’s time to sell.

Happy trading!

The Story of the iPad and the Stock Market

topher — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 22:00:22 +0000

I’ve had a few days with my iPad and I can honestly say this has potential to be a big technology changer for everyone. This also includes investors. The new mobile society has become even more capable with this device.

What does the iPad have in store for Lunch Break Investors? Here are a few of my thoughts on how this will change it all:

1. Full web browser. No more squinting at the mobile version of our favorite financial site. I was able to log into my Scottrade account and view charts, financial data and news. Just like on my laptop. The only drawback I’ve had so far is that I can’t use the drawing tool on the stock chart. So, I’m still not at the point that I can completely know if a stock is trending.
2. The every growing awesome apps. The Apple app store has enough financial apps that should suit anyone’s strategy. I’ll start reviewing those over the next few days.
3. Numbers is the Apple version of Excel. This is an amazing application. I’m in the process of converting my stock tracking spreadsheet to it (I currently use Google Docs). Again, there is one draw back to the app, it will import Excel documents, but not export them.
4. iBooks, Knook (Barnes & Noble) and Kindle (Amazon). These are the three big boys of the ebook reader market (sorry Sony). Barnes & Noble and Kindle both run on the iPad. What does that mean for Lunch Break Investors? No more heavy books! You can now buy all your favorite books on your preferred format and read away.
5. The video player is much better on the iPad than on the iPhone/iPod touch. Now those videos from podcasts and iTunes U are much easier on the eyes. Time to upgrade your financial knowledge.

Those are my thoughts, do you have any to share. Post a comment below, I would love to hear from you!