To All: It has always been my contention (way back when I first started the MDA now MDD thread on SI, a guru free zone) that it is best for each individual to learn enough about how the markets work to be in a position to make his or her own investment and trading decisions. There is nothing wrong with taking into account what others expect, but in the end the final analysis and decisions should be your own. Whether that decision is constructed from raw analysis of your own or from a compilation of your own work combined with work from others you’ve come to respect, in the end you should be making the decisions and constructing the plans.
No one has a lock on technical, fundamental or sentiment analysis, “no one”. Even the best are going to be wrong from time to time. In the end, we are all just using our techniques to “guess” at what the market will do in the future, some more educated than others and some more consistently right than others, but in the end our market expectations are just guesses.
Always keep that in mind when reading some of the "wannabe" gurus on the message boards or the "I get paid for my stuff" gurus. Over the last few years, I have noticed more and more folks that post on these boards are more interested in getting pats on the back for their calls than in making money in the stock market.
If your primary goal in participating on these online investment message boards is to “make money” rather than get “online at-a-boys” then reversing when you are wrong comes more easily.
I use to say, an on line “at-a-boy” will not buy you a stick of gum, but I’ve see to many self styled on line gurus get their fellow posters to pay them money. It has always been my contention, if you are good enough at what you do to charge for your market perspective then you will not need to charge for what you share, as you will be prospering.
Just the take of a regular joe trying to make a buck in a fun but difficult profession...
Regards,
LG
