Controlling the Urge

By Charles Delvalle
Ask any big-name investor what it takes to make consistent money in the stock market and they’ll all tell you the same thing: Discipline. Yet many investors leave discipline at the door when they decide to buy or sell stock.

That is the worst mistake you can make – because investing in the stock market is all about probabilities.

Let’s say you have a system that gives you winners 70 percent of the time. If you don’t follow the system on your next trade, the likelihood that you’ll get a winner could drop to 40 or 50 percent. Not only did you lose your discipline, you are also far more likely to lose money.

The best way to stay disciplined and control the urge to break away from your system is to remember one thing: There will always be another opportunity.

As long as you know that you’ll have more opportunities to make money, you’ll be less likely to go for the one that isn’t really in sync with your system. You’ll know that in the next few days, there’s a good chance you’ll see an opportunity that suits your system to a T.

[Ed. Note: As market analyst Charles Delvalle points out, discipline – not years of experience, not fancy tools – can help you make money in the stock market.]
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This article appears courtesy of Early to Rise [Issue #2395, 06-30-08], the Internet's most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com/.