Topic: How To Invest

What is Pat’s commentary for the week of September 25, 2012

Article Excerpt

Most successful investors know better than to invest any money in the stereotypical “hot stock tip” —the gotta-act-quick buy recommendation that comes from a friend (or a friend of a friend). Stocks like these are supposedly sure to make you a lot of money, but they virtually never succeed. Some of these recommendations start out as honest opinions of investors who know just enough to jump to conclusions about a stock’s outlook. However, some of these naïve investors may have come under the influence of dishonest stock promoters and professional swindlers. Of course, you may feel your work gives you special expertise for investing in your own industry. Lots of tech company workers, for instance, feel that way. They have strong feelings about which tech firms are most likely to thrive and which are apt to fail. But the strength of that feeling can mislead you, for a couple of reasons. First, no single individual can possibly know all you’d need to know…