{"id":18203,"date":"2013-08-26T08:00:12","date_gmt":"2013-08-26T14:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/?p=18203"},"modified":"2013-08-12T17:08:50","modified_gmt":"2013-08-12T23:08:50","slug":"snapshot-stock-market-evaluation-for-the-inexperienced-and-timid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dailyimprovisations.com\/snapshot-stock-market-evaluation-for-the-inexperienced-and-timid\/","title":{"rendered":"Snapshot Stock Market Evaluation for the Inexperienced and Timid"},"content":{"rendered":"

I am a kitchen table investor.<\/strong> And you know<\/em> there are a lot of other things going on at the kitchen table, too. I am responsible for most of them. Life swirls with the kitchen table as it’s focal point, so sometimes investment activities get lost in the piles and time warps daily life.<\/p>\n

That is<\/strong> one reason we are so careful about which companies we invest in<\/a><\/span>. I don’t have the time to watch them every day, making sure company management is wise and reliable. Still, we DO want to periodically evaluate. Sometimes we have saved enough funds for another purchase. Sometimes we just need to take the pulse of the companies or be aware of opportunities.<\/p>\n

When it<\/strong> has been a while since I’ve done any very deep swimming in my investment things, it is challenging to get back into it. I try to read snippets about the stock market and economics here and there, but that is not quite the same as getting into it up to my neck. When decisions need to be made, even if it is just about whether or not to buy more of a stock that is already owned, it can tax the brain and the psyche.<\/p>\n

Some people<\/strong> live and breathe the stock market. I try not to let that intimidate me. It is hard to tell from what people write how they are actually doing<\/em> with their investments. Some results get published, but out of the things that I see, it doesn’t really seem that all these investment gurus are becoming millionaires! Even if they are, that shouldn’t stop ordinary me from doing what I can with my resources.<\/p>\n

Here is<\/strong> where I emphasize again that this is not gambling. There is risk, like there is in all of life, but we take (semi?) educated risks in many areas. We don’t have to completely understand something to take a risk. For instance, I ride on airplanes to Hawaii sometimes. Mostly because it is too far to swim. I really don’t like or understand airplanes, but they do seem to fly. Most of the time.<\/p>\n

Really<\/strong>, I hardly understand about car engines more than I do about airplanes, but I manage to effectively drive one to get things done for the benefit of the whole family. For that matter, I don’t know what makes seeds sprout or exactly why soap helps clean the clothes. But I work with what I know to the best of my ability because it is ultimately worth risking.<\/p>\n

I can imagine<\/strong> someone who has never been around soap saying, “Oh, I can’t use that. I don’t know what it is.”<\/em> Those familiar with soap might laugh, but that is just how many people act around savings and investments.\u00a0However, money and money management are a basic aspect of life.<\/p>\n

There may<\/strong> be the “soap experts,” who (think they) know exactly how it is made and all it’s chemical tendencies, but nearly everyone can learn to use soap. Plus, a little experience with soap goes a long way. So it is with the stock market. Think about one load of wash or one shower or one stock decision at a time. Why get all stressed out about all the clothes that have to be washed in your future? Or how much water you will have to pay for to take a life time of showers? Or whether or not every stock purchase will look good on any given day? Play in the water, make some bubbles, and get some things clean.<\/p>\n

Okay, maybe<\/strong> I should have used a camera analogy, since I did say “snapshot” in the title, but I have been running laundry and doing dishes throughout the day. The fact is, I have begun to again do what I call snapshot research<\/em> of companies. I gather information about what the company and our particular investment look like right now<\/em>.<\/p>\n