Have you made money in stocks? I have lost tons

United States
January 10, 2007 11:16am CST
I have been investing my money in stocks for several years but I loose money every year on stocks. So I am now truning to CD's since the rates are around 5%. Tell me how you like to invest your money and make or loose money.
4 responses
Idlewild
@Idlewild (6090)
• United States
10 Jan 07
For stocks it can be good to go with safety and quality. I often stick with big name, dividend paying stocks. That way even if the stock price doesn't go up in a given year, you're still getting a dividend of 1% to 5%.
datiger
@datiger (102)
• Estonia
16 Jan 07
1% to 5% percent a year means taht you're losing money. "Healthy" inflation that is considered good for the economy is about 3-5% a year(and that's from my university materials). But as US and many other countries have a very high inflation... you win nothing, you only lose. If you get 10-15% a year you can say that you're on the "safe side".
Stijn1234
@Stijn1234 (266)
• Belgium
16 Jan 07
I'm too stupid to trade in stocks myself and I don't trust the banks with my money so.... Have won nor lost.
neo2neo
@neo2neo (461)
• India
16 Jan 07
You should so home work before stepping in to the stock markets. If you want to invest in shares and you are new to shares, invest in a company which is giving consistent good results in every quarter and whose share price is increasing about 20-25% quarter. This stocks are called 'ever green'. If you invest in such a few stocks you will not loose money. If you are trying to make a quick buck in shares you need to have good knowledge of how share markets operate and how you can buy/sell in a short term and earn money. Knowledge and experience is what pays you in Shares. Don't jump into it. Read a lot, learn things and observe the markets daily. Instead of investing directly the real money, invest dummy money and see how you do with it. If you already have invested money, you should apply a stop loss too. A stop loss id usually 5-10% of the price you bought a share. Take professional help before you invest your hard earned money.
acwbagnall
@acwbagnall (39)
• Australia
16 Jan 07
have a look at some of my other posts on here regarding buying shares on a value based strategy a la Warren Buffet - the most successful investor ever. A great site for some free info on investing in shares is http://www.sharedigest.com That will show you where to get started, it also covers derivatives such as options and futures etc. When investing in stocks long term I look for solid companies with a history of earnings growth year upon year, and wait for an opportunity to buy in when the stock is temporarily undervalued due to a short term hiccup. Lately my most recent buy was Telstra shares in Australia. I bought in right at the market bottom in November 2006 for $2.00 per share on an installment warrant with a further $1.60/share payable in May 2008, and now only 2 months later they are at $2.92 /share, thats a profit of 46% in just over 2 months! But I am holding them for the long term as I forsee further gains in the next 2-4 years. I am also an active short term options trader, see the website above for more details on how to trade options if you are interested. Good Luck