Monday, June 9, 1997
Something to Put
Away
by
TMF Python
Have you done research on a stock, and said to yourself, "this looks good; it's something to put away"? So you purchase the stock, confident that this stock is good and should require very little maintenance (Have to read press releases, check on earnings, etc.) Sure, every once in a while you check the news, earnings releases, just to see what's going on with it, but you sleep well at night, knowing that this stock is still good.
As time goes on, you feel that you have made a great investment. The stock's price has gone up and you're happy. Dividends may be rolling in every quarter and you "take them to the bank." You're not worried; after all, it was a stock you bought to "put away."
More time has gone by now, and you're looking at your portfolio and asking yourself, "Why did I invest in this stock anyway?" It's paid a dividend, gone up in price, but could I do better now by selling it and moving on? So you rerun all your research and decide that maybe it's time to sell. You call your broker and cut it loose. Reflecting on it, though, you feel like you have just sold something that was a part of you. After all, you have held this stock for a long time. It's treated you well.
What's next? No need for despair or mourning. You start your research to find another good stock to buy with your profits. You find one; it looks good. Should be good for years. Call your broker to buy. If you're lucky, you say to yourself, "This is something to put away for years." You even find that it's still easy to sleep at night.