Short-term Genius
06/05/07 04:29 PM
The good news is: I'm an investing genius!
The bad news is: I'm bragging about it.
Just checked my retirement portfolio and for the year to date my investments are up 13.8% vs 7.8% for the S&P 500 (not including dividends reinvested). From 2001 - 2006 my IRA was up 160% overall, while the stock market rose 80% during that time. My investment choices are somewhat limited in that all of my 403b money (same thing as a 401K) is restricted to Vanguard funds and Jeanie's deferred comp is restricted to a few index funds. So on March 21 I set up a pretend portfolio of how I would invest $1million, if I had a mill and could invest it however I chose. That portfolio is up 15.7% since the first day of spring, during which time the stock market is up about 6.5%.
Wait! Come back! I'm not done!
I got thinking about this because I played a stock market game put on by Smart Money that lasted six weeks. Since I tend to hold stocks for a long time, short term trading really isn't my gig but just for fun I entered- but instead of making trades every day like most players I just bought my eight stocks at the beginning and held them throughout the game. I finished 110th out of almost 1800 players.
And finally: I also joined the Motley Fool CAPS group: nearly 30,000 strong. After a month and a half I am ranked 1,889th. (I gave up watching Criminal Intent reruns late at night to play CAPS instead). In each venue, with different picks, I've been stomping the market; "stomping," I say!
The CAPS thing is kind of addicting: I've gone months at a time without checking my actual portfolio, but I check my CAPS score every day. I don't care if my retirement fund dwindles away, as long as I outscore the other CAPS players!
(Disclaimer: For those of you who don't know me, the way I deal with my pride is by mocking myself.)
We now resume our regular programming.
The bad news is: I'm bragging about it.
Just checked my retirement portfolio and for the year to date my investments are up 13.8% vs 7.8% for the S&P 500 (not including dividends reinvested). From 2001 - 2006 my IRA was up 160% overall, while the stock market rose 80% during that time. My investment choices are somewhat limited in that all of my 403b money (same thing as a 401K) is restricted to Vanguard funds and Jeanie's deferred comp is restricted to a few index funds. So on March 21 I set up a pretend portfolio of how I would invest $1million, if I had a mill and could invest it however I chose. That portfolio is up 15.7% since the first day of spring, during which time the stock market is up about 6.5%.
Wait! Come back! I'm not done!
I got thinking about this because I played a stock market game put on by Smart Money that lasted six weeks. Since I tend to hold stocks for a long time, short term trading really isn't my gig but just for fun I entered- but instead of making trades every day like most players I just bought my eight stocks at the beginning and held them throughout the game. I finished 110th out of almost 1800 players.
And finally: I also joined the Motley Fool CAPS group: nearly 30,000 strong. After a month and a half I am ranked 1,889th. (I gave up watching Criminal Intent reruns late at night to play CAPS instead). In each venue, with different picks, I've been stomping the market; "stomping," I say!
The CAPS thing is kind of addicting: I've gone months at a time without checking my actual portfolio, but I check my CAPS score every day. I don't care if my retirement fund dwindles away, as long as I outscore the other CAPS players!
(Disclaimer: For those of you who don't know me, the way I deal with my pride is by mocking myself.)
We now resume our regular programming.
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