Money, Insanity and Wall Street
Money: the most charged word in the planet. It means something to everyone. For some, money means a blessing, for others it means a disaster.
We all have heard stories of people who have lost their fortunes or their life savings trading in the stock market; but, we don't hear much of people who are currently trading and how their lives are turning upside down.
For some, the process of trading is like the development of an addiction, it starts with expectations, with hopes of a relief, with desire to control money or acquire more of it. Soon, it starts turning into an obsession. Then, it controls the thoughts, emotions and feelings. Next, there is no longer consciousness about the external life, everything around turns into a distraction from the focus of trading, and those distractions must be eliminated.
This is where relationships end, where jobs are terminated, and the mind is totally controlled by the obsession of trading. Whether money is made or not, is not the issue. The issue is how, at what cost is made? Is the cost a family, a spouse, a significant relationship, sanity, peace of mind, health?? Maybe the cost is not worthy.
When you buy a stock or an option, you are leaving a part of you attached to it, whether you want to accept it or not; it is always in the back of your mind. Your heart, your mind, and even your body will tell you what to do. If there is pain, fear, anxiety, destruction, conflict around you, then maybe you need to stop and look again.
Wall Street is always there, but your sanity, family and self-esteem may not be. Choose, because you always have a choice. Nobody can make the choice for you; nobody had made the choice for you.
Money can absorb human souls, money can destroy human lives. Money is definitely a sword of two edges. It can bring joy or destruction.
Your choice. Every time.
© Copyright 2005 by Jeanette Castelli
Adapted from the book, Wall Street Poems: Rising Beyond The Illusions, by Jeanette Castelli. For more information visit website, http://WallStreetPoems.urbantex.com/
Jeanette Castelli is an author, speaker and coach.
Her education includes an MBA and a Master of Psychology. She is an expert in recovery and healing processes, including divorce, past events and wall street losses. Contact her JCastelli@urbantex.com
MORE RESOURCES:
 |
 |
 |
RELATED ARTICLES
Investment Attorneys and Garbage Stocks
How is it possible that trash Companies are posting less than expected results? Trash Companies are thought of by prudish investors as some of the safest stocks to own. Ask Warren in his Buffet of Essays on Corporate America.
Psychology - How to Reduce Negative Thoughts Relating to Trading?
The thinking process of the brain relating to the psychology of trading involves:-- Beliefs
-- Feelings
-- Values
-- Dispositions and
-- FaithThe positive or negative energy brings power to a person's actions, which ultimately determines whether a person is a winner or a loser. You can change for the better or for the worst.
Size Counts!
What the heck am I talking about?It is often said that to grow mentally, spiritually, emotionally and personally that you have to stretch and move out of your comfort zone. I definitely believe in this concept, however.
Stock and Fund Dividends
When is a dividend not a dividend?The latest thing "conservative"
brokers are preaching these days is to buy stocks
that pay dividends. Everyone likes dividends.
Selection Vs Direction
As I have said many times before in this column it really doesn't make any difference what you buy - stocks, funds or indexes - it takes smarts to know when to sell. Direction of the general market is more important than selection of any equity.
Investment Discipline
One of the great "secrets" of successful people is discipline and it doesn't make any difference whether it is manufacturing, processing, servicing or investing in the stock market.Before you can have that discipline you must have a successful plan and stick with it.
Performance Funds
Mutual funds are doing more and more to discourage investors from leaving them and taking their money to a better performing fund. What does better performing mean? It has nothing to do with who the manager is, what the expense ratio is or how well they performed over the past 5 or 10 years.
Selling Strategies - Setting a Stop Loss
Sometimes the best way of lowering exposure to risk is not to invest at all! However, when we make the decision to jump into the muddy waters of the stock market, its always a good idea to have a life jacket ready, just in case.We all have stories of that "must have" "can't lose" stock that looking back, we didn't really need to buy, and it definitely lost.
The Information Age
It is wonderful to be alive in the information age. We know in a matter of seconds the change in the value of gold in Switzerland, the death of a world leader or the birth of a peasant in Israel.
Time Out
Are you paying any attention to your retirement savings? Do you have it in cash or an account with a broker? Maybe you have a professional manager who is investing your money as you add to it every month.Is your account increasing in value every year? If it isn't why are you letting anyone else invest for you? There is no point having a loser in charge of your money.
What is the Most Important Indicator of All?
Most stock market traders have a favorite technical indicator.The one that they have the most confidence in.
The 10 Commandments
Wall Street has been preaching for years and years to investors how and where to put their money. The "experts" have put forth these ideas for so long that they seem to be carved in stone just like Moses did with God's 10 Commandments.
How to Read an Annual Report
Every publicly traded company is required by the SEC(Securities and Exchange Commission) to provide annual reports to it's shareholders, and the general public as well. These annual reports contain very important financial information, as well of summaries of the companies progress made by the CEO, board members, etc.
So, What is This Stock Market Thing Anyway?
We've all heard of the stock market and probably have a general idea of what it is and how it works either from high school economics classes, television financial reports, and the countless film depictions of what happens on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. But how does it really work and what is meant by "playing the stock market?"The Stock Market in a NutshellCompanies sell shares of stock as a means of raising capital.
The 401(K): How The Insider Has Stolen Your Retirement!
Mutual funds were moderately successful in creating a presence in the stock market until the advent of the investment retirement account and in particular the 401(k). Corporate insiders persuaded the federal government to allow for the 401(k) in lieu of offering employees the traditional pension.
The Golden Goose is Sick
It is finally catching up with them. The brokerage companies I mean.
Historical Briefing: Stocks, Finance and Money
The World Bank claims that some two billion of the world's
citizens live on $1 per day or less! That fact absolutely
shocked me. With this statistic in mind it becomes important to
focus on all of the things that have served as money over the
history of civilization.
A Triple Dipper: How to Make 3 Profits on 1 Stock Trade
This is a rather simple strategy with which I am sure a lot of seasoned traders are very familiar, possibly under some other name with which I am not familiar. I wanted to write about it because I don't see anyone talking about it anymore.
My Stock - Right or Wrong
We all know the expression, "My country, right or wrong", but have you ever thought about the stocks or mutual fund you own and said to yourself, "My stock - right or wrong" and held on to your position even as you saw your hard-earned money disappearing?This is the Buy N Hold strategy and, in case you haven't noticed, lost from 40% to 60% and more of investors' money from 2000 to 2003. Fortunately, for the past year stock markets around the world have gone up and folks have recovered about 25% to 30% from those low numbers.
Wal-Mart: Discount Store, Discounted Stock?
As GuruFocus updates the stock buys and sells of gurus, Wal-Mart (WMT), the discount retail giant, stands out as the stock with a high ValueRank (7 out of 10). Just recently, Clipper Fund's James Gipson and T.
|