Oaktree
Super Member
Way more effort than it's worth to me. Plus, every time you sell you're looking at short term capital gains tax, which is higher than long term. Would rather not give any more to Uncle Sam than I absolutely have to.Say I buy the stock at $100.
I put in a sell stop at $90.
I only have $10 per share at risk with this. If the stock crashes to $90, I'm out and have a $10 per share loss. But if the price goes up to $110, I raise my sell stop up to $100. Now I'm at a break even. If the stock keeps going up, I just keep raising my sell stop up higher and higher. Once you are above the price of transaction costs and taxes, you now have zero risk in the market. The only cost that keeps going up is the marginal cost of taxes. But if it keeps going up, I'm ok with the marginal tax burden.
Then say the stock gets up to 140 and I have a sell stop at 120 and the market crashes and it hits my sell stop at 120. The tool sells all my stuff automatically and I have a profit of $20 and all I had to do is move sell stops.
There is a bit more nuance, but that is the jist. The key is you have to sell and bank profits.
Buy quality stocks and hold is my way of doing things.
Not sure I would want to put all my eggs into one basket, especially an employer's stock. Then again, with only 2 exceptions (and both were part-time jobs) every company I've ever worked for is no longer in business. I guess they couldn't survive my leaving...My God Sister started at Apple as a high school intern in the 70’s…
Her Apple stock options paid for 2 typical Santa Clara homes, vacations, daughters education, etc… and she retired in her late 40’s. She never went to college.
Her dad said put every penny you can in company stock…
BTW, what's a God sister? Never heard the term before.