3 Questions to Ask Before Selling
Here's a mystery straight from the "odd things that investors do" vault: Why do investors continue to follow a stock's performance after they've already sold it? If price gyrations in the stock have no impact on a portfolio, why bother?
Good question. In my case, I sometimes watch a stock much more closely after it has no part in my portfolio than I did when I actually owned it.
Why? Because I want to feel good about my sell decision. I want to know that I made the right choice. A stock that tanks after I sell crowns me as a market seer, and one that shoots higher goes in the "just kick me" file.
Aside from my own delusions, though, I've learned that my post-sale paranoia is evidence that I sold a stock with more emotion than reason. If I were selling for the right reasons, I'd show much more confidence in the decision and have little need to validate the choice.
No comments:
Post a Comment