Admit it. You saw the title of this post and thought what the #@&! is this guy thinking! Is he insane? Who goes and sells one of the world’s most profitable and admired companies? The truth is that this was not an easy post to write. Having watched the price of Apple stock (AAPL) rise above $600 (about $50 more than what I sold it for) left me wondering the same thing about my decision. But isn’t that the problem when we invest? We let our imaginations run the show. If we sell, we’ll kick ourselves if stock goes up, but we’ll pat ourselves on the back when it goes down. … [Read more...] about Why I Finally Sold My Apple Stock
Apple
Browsing for Stocks – January 2012
It’s a new year and I’m optimistic that new opportunities are out there. In keeping with that enthusiasm, I’d like to add a few more individual stocks to my portfolio. Traditionally, I stick with mutual funds to stay diversified, keep my costs down, and avoid the turbulence of the market. However, last year I had a great time with Apple (AAPL) (up 26% from my initial purchase) and I’m hoping I can use the same care and attention to pick another winner. Going After Dividends As part of my ongoing initiative to add passive income streams, I’ve decided that my next set of stocks should be dividend stocks. There are a lot of reasons why to look at dividend stocks for my next purchase: … [Read more...] about Browsing for Stocks – January 2012
Farewell Steve Jobs
This week the world lost Steve Jobs, one of the most influential figures in the technology and business world. Although Apple didn’t invent mp3’s or cell phones, they certainly created a phenomenal market for these items with their outstanding and must-have products such as the iPod and iPhone. Steve’s vision for these products and ability to get his company to innovate these creations is what took Apple from an ordinary computer maker to one of the strongest and most powerful companies in the world to date. One of my favorite stories about Steve Jobs is when he was first brought back to Apple in the late 90’s a few years after he was forced to leave. The company was heading towards bankruptcy and needed a change. At the time, Apple had … [Read more...] about Farewell Steve Jobs
Trying Out “The Big Secret” Stock Picking Strategy
Just admit it. You do it. I do it too. I’m talking about reading a book with reasonable advice and then never acting on any of it. Not even for a test run. It’s not that we’re lazy or not smart enough to carry it through. It’s just that for some reason it’s really hard to make that leap of faith and act on what we know we should be doing. Well, there’s always a time to start. This summer, I read the book “The Big Secret for the Small Investor” by Joel Greenblatt because I was interested in stepping up my stock picking game. If you’d like to read my book review, click here. In Part “A” of Greenblatt’s “Big Secret” plan, he concludes that: … [Read more...] about Trying Out “The Big Secret” Stock Picking Strategy