The strategy that I will be employing will be centered around a mix of Fundamental and Technical analysis of stocks.
Stocks of companies I will be selecting to trade and invest in will be leaders in their fields. These companies will be experiencing strong quarterly and annual Earnings per Share (EPS) and sales growth, and will be members of top performing industry groups. Their stocks' price performance will already be outperforming at least 70% of all other stocks' performance. These stocks will also be experiencing increased accumulation by large mutual funds and hedge funds (institutional buyers).
From this pool of eligible stocks, I will be determining entry points based on break-out and trend continuation chart patterns.
My method draws heavily on the teachings of William O'Neil of Investors Business Daily as well as Richard Dennis and William Eckhardt of "Turtle Trader" fame in the commodities arena.
I will not invest more than 10% of total investible cash in any one company and will seek to limit my portfolio to no more than 20 companies at any one time (utilizing leverage where necessary).
During periods when the broad markets are in correction (as they are currently), I will attempt to take profits on the way up sticking to a 3:1 profit target. This means I will attempt to take profits three times what I am risking upon initiation of the position. For example, If I purchase XYZ stock at $100 and my stop-loss is $90, I will exit my position for a profit at $130.
During confirmed rally periods for the general market, I will give winning positions more room to grow. While maintaining a strict stop-loss, I will let violations of 50-day trendlines be my signals to exit positions.
As Jesse Livermore, one of the greatest Traders of all time has been known to repeat (in paraphrase): "The best money is made in the sitting and the waiting". When general markets are in confirmed rallies, I will attempt to do just that.
Without giving away the farm, this is a broad overview of how I will build my investment portfolio. If my hypothesis is correct, and I execute according to this strategy, it is my belief that I can target annual returns in the neighborhood of 100%. While this number is certain to cause investment professionals from all corners of the globe to scoff at my assertion, I believe it is absolutely within the realm of possibility. It is my intention to find out.
Wish me luck.
Sean McLaughlin
Chicago, IL
Sunday, June 29, 2008
The Beginning of a Journey
Today is Sunday June 29, 2008 and I sit on the precipice of a new beginning. Perhaps new beginning may be a bit inaccurate - a new start may be more appropriate. However, it has the feel and the makings of a true new beginning.
It is over the past two weeks that I have decided my true calling is to be a Trader. A full-time trader, dedicated to earning his living in the markets.
I am no stranger to this role, as I spent nine of my best years attempting to accomplish this. And it worked - for a time. Sparing you the details, towards the end of my previous run, I was burnt out having struggled to earn steady profits and relying on managing money for other people (prop trading firms, for example) that required I follow their rules and parameters for entering trades and managing risk. Due to these constraints and my inability to accept direction from others, I was doomed to fail.
Though I have continued to trade in a small way - in January 2007 I had given up. I had lost all ability and confidence in myself to provide for my wife and myself as a Trader. It was time to get a "real" job.
Since February of 2007, I have been employed in various roles for a fast growing, pre-IPO logistics company in the transportation industry. The experience has been fruitful. I've gained confidence in skills I didn't know I had. I've been given duties and responsibilities on escalating scales of importance. And I've made many friends in the process. However, one thing that always felt out of my control was my ability to succeed. And again, I really don't enjoy having other people tell me what to do. Recognize a common pattern here?
I have now spent the better part of the last year and a half away from the trading world, spinning my wheels in the corporate world. During my spare time I have immersed myself in studying the stock market, taking the 50,000-foot high-level view of trading and portfolio management instead of viewing it from the trenches. This new perspective has given me fresh ideas, fresh confidence, and the willingness and belief that I can be successful again in this pursuit.
Which brings me to why I've started this blog and what I hope to accomplish:
As a totally independent Trader managing my own money, it is my intent to hold myself accountable. While I don't work well under close supervision, I do feel there is value in broadcasting my portfolio results for the world to see - the good, the bad, and the ugly. If for nothing else, this blog will force me to stay true to my strategy and provide a diary for constant review and improvement. And it also satisfies a small interest in being a Writer that I've always secretly harbored.
It is my expectation that I will do well, and deep down inside of me is a hope that perhaps somebody or some group out there will recognize the value of what I'm doing and would like to hire my services to manage a portion of their risk capital.
At the very least...and perhaps this is more realistic, I hope my personal Journey to Prosperity will prove to be inspiring to other traders, investors, or people who are currently or considering chasing their dreams - whatever they may be.
Tomorrow is Monday, June 30 and my Journey begins. I still have my day job, but I will be resigning from that no later than the end of August. The potential trading profits from my modest sized trading account won't be enough to solely provide for a comfortable standard of living in the short-term (for this my wife and I will count on her job). But it is my hope and expectation that biting the financial bullet in the short-term will pay significant dividends in the long-term. Both financially, and mentally.
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading. Please feel free to post comments, suggestions, criticisms, or well wishes.
Sean McLaughlin
Chicago, IL
It is over the past two weeks that I have decided my true calling is to be a Trader. A full-time trader, dedicated to earning his living in the markets.
I am no stranger to this role, as I spent nine of my best years attempting to accomplish this. And it worked - for a time. Sparing you the details, towards the end of my previous run, I was burnt out having struggled to earn steady profits and relying on managing money for other people (prop trading firms, for example) that required I follow their rules and parameters for entering trades and managing risk. Due to these constraints and my inability to accept direction from others, I was doomed to fail.
Though I have continued to trade in a small way - in January 2007 I had given up. I had lost all ability and confidence in myself to provide for my wife and myself as a Trader. It was time to get a "real" job.
Since February of 2007, I have been employed in various roles for a fast growing, pre-IPO logistics company in the transportation industry. The experience has been fruitful. I've gained confidence in skills I didn't know I had. I've been given duties and responsibilities on escalating scales of importance. And I've made many friends in the process. However, one thing that always felt out of my control was my ability to succeed. And again, I really don't enjoy having other people tell me what to do. Recognize a common pattern here?
I have now spent the better part of the last year and a half away from the trading world, spinning my wheels in the corporate world. During my spare time I have immersed myself in studying the stock market, taking the 50,000-foot high-level view of trading and portfolio management instead of viewing it from the trenches. This new perspective has given me fresh ideas, fresh confidence, and the willingness and belief that I can be successful again in this pursuit.
Which brings me to why I've started this blog and what I hope to accomplish:
As a totally independent Trader managing my own money, it is my intent to hold myself accountable. While I don't work well under close supervision, I do feel there is value in broadcasting my portfolio results for the world to see - the good, the bad, and the ugly. If for nothing else, this blog will force me to stay true to my strategy and provide a diary for constant review and improvement. And it also satisfies a small interest in being a Writer that I've always secretly harbored.
It is my expectation that I will do well, and deep down inside of me is a hope that perhaps somebody or some group out there will recognize the value of what I'm doing and would like to hire my services to manage a portion of their risk capital.
At the very least...and perhaps this is more realistic, I hope my personal Journey to Prosperity will prove to be inspiring to other traders, investors, or people who are currently or considering chasing their dreams - whatever they may be.
Tomorrow is Monday, June 30 and my Journey begins. I still have my day job, but I will be resigning from that no later than the end of August. The potential trading profits from my modest sized trading account won't be enough to solely provide for a comfortable standard of living in the short-term (for this my wife and I will count on her job). But it is my hope and expectation that biting the financial bullet in the short-term will pay significant dividends in the long-term. Both financially, and mentally.
If you've made it this far, thanks for reading. Please feel free to post comments, suggestions, criticisms, or well wishes.
Sean McLaughlin
Chicago, IL
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