Luck,Life and Stock Market

amitrandive

Well-Known Member
#1
Is there anything such as Luck in Life and Stock market?

If Luck really works, can we enhance it or change it by using some practical ideas or changing the thinking patterns?

I will be posting excerpts from an article based on the book "The Luck Factor" by Max Gunther.The article is taken from the website
http://www.asxmarketwatch.com

Max Gunther arrives at a careful set of scientific conclusions as to the nature of luck, and the possibility of managing it.Based entirely on drawing out the logical truths hidden in some examples of outrageous fortune (and some of the seemingly absurd theories of its origins), he presents readers with the concise formulae which make up what he calls "The Luck Factor" - the five traits that lucky people have in common - and shows how anyone can improve their luck.
 
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amitrandive

Well-Known Member
#2
There is one underlying current that many people forget about when investing in the Stock Market, and that is the influence of Lady Luck.

We’ve all heard about the guy who made his million from one lucky stock in the market. We’ve all heard about the person who got the one lucky idea, or was in the “right place at the right time”. Well the good news is, this thing called luck can be learned, and it’s simpler than you might think.

“The Lucky” All Have The Same Traits In Common


That’s right – without fail Lucky people in life all have certain traits in common – in fact these lucky people were studied over a period over more than 30 years from the mid to late 1900s by a man named Max Gunther.

He found that there are 5 distinct characteristics that the average person can work on if they want to become “lucky” – and as I was reading these characteristics I was amazed at how well they fit into Stock Market investing as well.

Everybody wants to get lucky. This series will go through each of Max Gunther’s “Luck Factors”, and how to apply them in the Stock Market to help increase your Stock Market luck.


contd.....
 

amitrandive

Well-Known Member
#5
Luck Factor 1: The “Ratchet Effect”

The Ratchet Effect is one of the simplest traits that the lucky all have in common. Obviously this is a metaphor – a “ratchet” being a device that preserves gains - it allows a wheel to turn forwards, but prevents it from slipping backwards.

It means running with an idea, a job, a relationship, a stock; but if the situation becomes bad (or worse) to cut your ties and move on to other opportunities. “Unlucky” people in life typically stick with their job, relationship or stock, even when they know it is doing their life or bank account harm. They can’t bring themselves to leave, and then, ironically, they complain about how crappy their life is!

But this idea can have massive, positive implications on your life and investing. You might use the ratchet effect to leave a job after your prospects for advancement were ruined by a corporate re-structure. You might use it to leave a relationship that, deep down, you know has no chance of improving or is actually doing you harm.

And you might already guess how this applies to the stock market. Very simply, it means buying a stock, letting the gains run, but if the stock turns against you to implement the “ratchet effect”. Sell. Don’t get cosy with your stock, don’t fall in love with it. Have yourself certain rules that if met, will get you out and implement “The Ratchet Effect”.

Every single Stock Market Great has used the ratchet effect in their investing. Every. Single. One.


contd.....
 

amitrandive

Well-Known Member
#8
Why The “Unlucky” Don’t Use The “Ratchet Effect”

There are two reasons Max Gunther found as to why unlucky people never use the ratchet effect.

1: It’s Too Hard To Say “I Was Wrong”.

This is why you’ll find I have absolutely no ego in the stock market (and I try to have no ego in life as well, but hey, we’re only human!). If something goes wrong or I make a mistake, I admit it – not only to myself, but on this public forum called too. For the world to see.

Unlucky people hold on to their ideas and prejudices like they were precious items. They defend their ideas with vigour. They sulk if the world doesn’t agree. And that, my friends, is why they will always be unlucky.

2: It’s Too Hard To Abandon An Investment

Abandoning an investment doesn’t just have to mean a stock – it could mean an investment of time in a relationship, an investment of time or education in a failing career, or of course, your investment of figuring out which stock to buy.

This is a very hard obstacle to overcome. Once we’ve put some effort into something, it is very hard for us to abandon it and move on. But here’s the deal – Lucky people WILL move on. They WILL abandon an investment of their time, money, or other resources for view of something better. If they see the situation is not likely to improve, they will move on to other opportunities.

Avoiding A “Double Loss”


The other reason this Luck Factor works so well, is that it avoids a “Double Loss”. For instance, if we are stuck in a losing stock, job, or relationship, then not only are we losing there, but we are losing out on the missed opportunities we could have if we were in a better stock, job or relationship.

Avoiding the Double Loss can be a blessing to your life.

Can you see any ways that you can or should be using the ratchet effect in your own life or investing? If so, now would be a very good time to sit and do some serious thinking about what to do.

 
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amitrandive

Well-Known Member
#9
Luck Factor 2: Audentes Fortuna Juvat

Audentes Fortuna Juvat is a Latin phrase, meaning “Fortune Favours the Bold”. And favour the bold it does.

Have you ever heard the term “No Risk, No Reward”? How many risks do you think Donald Trump has taken in his life? Hundreds, maybe thousands – including some really big ones - to allow him to become a Billionaire. What about Warren Buffett? Bill Gates? All of them are bold. All of them are rich.

Author of that brilliant book “The Luck Factor” Max Gunther, found in his study over more than 30 years three ways in which fortune favours the bold, and how we can use it to become lucky in life and the stock market.
 

amitrandive

Well-Known Member
#10
1: Be Ever Ready To Inspect Lucky Opportunities When They Come Along

What this means is don’t go through life looking only straight ahead. Gunther found that Lucky people tend to move through life in a “Zig Zag” – going from one opportunity to the next, learning as they go. If someone offers them a new position, even though it may be scary at first, they are bold enough to jump at the chance.

Opposite to this is the man who stays in one place his whole life, never looking around for new ideas or opportunities. He might be stuck in the one job, neighborhood, or circle of acquaintances who influence his life and never move on – all the while complaining how “everyone else has all the luck”.
 

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