From A Beach Somewhere

 It's cool to look for confirmation of decisions made. And with DTR, I acknowledge up front that if I had dug a little deeper I might not have bought in. There is nothing wrong with the assets they have: Colosseum is a fantastic opportunity and, managed well, will really boost the company and the share price. And so far, management have done everything right, including shaving years off the exploration timeframe. That's why I bought in. However, since then I did a little off-centre research into Southern Cross Explorations (delisted, former ASX code was SXX). And a quick look at that made me question my decision to get in. Too late, I'm already there. But the confirmation to get out at a 20% increase is nice. That was the right call. Yes, long-term DTR will produce (REEs and gold) and should make a motza (the nearby REE mine is part of a $6billion (US) company so there is much to look forward to. Does the market have the patience to provide the money and resources DTR needs...

 I also bought into BOT. This is a departure from mining and exploration and into pharma. I liked BOT because they have a proven product that is going through the FDA approval process. The product is already selling well in Japan. How well? BOT gets a % revenue from all Japanese sales and this is likely to be announced soon. It has been indicated that the announcement could be as early as Feb 3. Once this revenue is announced, the share price should jump.  If I hold on for longer, it would be to take advantage of the inevitable share price explosion when FDA approval is granted (and why wouldn't they get the approval, the product is already selling well in Japan and has achieved goor trial results in Australia). Yes, there are risks; there ae risks with anything, including crossing the road.

 So why did I buy into DTR? Well, this time the shareholders are disgruntled and very unhappy. The company has mothballed its mine and gone looking for a joint-venture partner. I figured that the share price was about as low as it was going to get (ok, it went a little lower, but it bounced back). I know that these guys have a good gold mine and it is also full of Rare Earth Elements. However, it seems that they have realised that they lack the skills to take advantage of their asset - hence the need for a partner. I think that when they do get their joint-venture partner, and that might be sooner than many expect, the share price will jump enough that I will realise my 20% profit and be out. In the meantime, I have been pushing the MD to get a PR buzz going. Do I think that DTR is a good long-term investment? I think it has real possibilities and a srong future. But for now, it sits in my plan parameters.

 (Yes, I love really great music, and music, like shares, is subjective). Since I have a few people around me watching (and, indeed, copying) what I do, and since I give them the reasons for my investment choices, it only makes sense that I spell my reasonings out here as well. Let's look at CTN. (remember that the plan in my book calls for a stock to be sold when it reaches a 20% increase) I liked CTN because they had just finished some preliminary drilling and had actually stopped early because the indications were already very good and they didn't need to spend more money on what looked like a proven asset. Assays, at the time of purchase of the shares, were due in just a couple of weeks, and I had seen the market behave like this before: waiting for the good news to hit and then jumping on to take advantage. Those already on would reap a greater return. So this looked (and stll looks) like a no-brainer. And then some of the other shareholders started to get excited by the d...

 Too many people just trust what they "heard from someone". I suppose that way they have someone to blame if it all goes wrong. Even with me. Co-workers and friends think I am some sort of guru. I am not. I just do a fair amount of research. And even after I buy, I research more. That way, I go in as fully informed as possible. Sure, if I hear a whisper, I will research it. But I won't buy on someone else's say so. And neither should you.

 This is a record of what I am doing. I am not an expert so I expect that you will do your own research and seek professional advice when necessary. That said, you should back yourself a little more often. In this game (the share market) you probably have as much opportunity and chance as anyone, including the professionals. You have the time to research. You are clearly motivated. And you have the desire to do better. The one area where you may need to step up is in staying dispassionate. Use your heard, not your heart. Not every trade will pay off every time. No, seriously. Sometmes you will lose. Even if you consult a financial advisor. And remember, the internet is a tool, not a weapon. Use it for research and to find an advantage (whether real or imagined). Use it to document your journey. But DO NOT feel tempted to use it as some sort of financial influencing device. That would be wrong on so very many levels, and possibly even illegal. This is my journey. What does yours loo...

 Ok. So the Plan says that I sell when my shares increase by 20%. But I have decided to deviate (again) because: I put an order in to buy CTN shares and my order was only partially fulfilled. And then CTN went up by 12.5%. It looked like they were going to increase again (yep, they did). So I increased my order at my original price and increased my sale price to realise an almost 100% profit. That way, if CTN shares go up, I win and I will sell my existing shares and cancel my buy order. If they go down, I get to buy more (undervalued) CTN shares at a great price. And at that stage it is back to the Plan.

 I bought into CTN and they jumped 12.5% in oen day. Nice. However, they have assay results due soon as should jump a lot more if the results come back as expected and as the early indications are showing.

 Ok. So just bought into BOT. It looks like this will have a jump with their first quarter report. Should be a good trade for this month.

 Sir Isaac Newton came up with laws around physics and mathematics, Laws that hold true today (and tomorrow, and tomorrow...). Let's see if the laws have any relevance in the world of investing and money. The First Law of Motion: An object at rest remains at rest, and an object in montion remains in motion at a constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force. What???? Let's take the first part: An object at rest remains at rest. I guess that means that if you do nothing, nithing will happen. You have to make a start. Now let's look at the rest: An object in montion remains in motion at a constant speed and in a straight line unless acted on by an unbalanced force. I guess that means that once you are moving towards you investment goals you will keep moving towards them unless you are affected by an outside influence: Bills, the desire for a holiday, wanting to buy the latest iPhone, etc (you get the idea). It could even be that you made a shitty...

Yay. My WGO shares sold at a tidy profit. Now it's tme to jump into some research on the next one and get back to the plan. WGO was a distraction, a profitable one, but a distraction. The plan should be returned to now. Perhaps I will have to reread my book just to be sure.  Here we go. I wonder what the next one will be. I will know in a couple of days. 

  My teenaged daughter has got herself a part-time job and I gave her some advice about what to do with her pay. Yhis advice was, quite naturally, ignored. We simply don't learn good financial habits overnight. So I gave her something she could understand. I broke goal-setting down to Footy. It's quite simple: If you don't know where the goal is you might as well kick the ball anywhere. And as I was saying this I realised that the same applies to investing. Have a goal and always know what that goal is. BUT... don't forget to reward yourself.