Apprenticed Investor

Take Responsibility for Your Stock Losses

01/08/08 - 03:55 PM EST


Editor's note: This is the continuation of a special collection of previously published investing lessons from RealMoney contributor and market strategist Barry Ritholtz.

"He who blames others has a long way to go on his journey. He who blames himself is halfway there. He who blames no one has arrived."

-- Chinese proverb

In the first installment of "The Apprenticed Investor," we discussed why investors should expect to be wrong, and most importantly, having appropriate plans for what to do when you are wrong.

That column gave you two lessons disguised as one. Hidden within was a second, subtler message. It is so obvious, yet so ignored by investors: You are ultimately the only person responsible for your investments.

Apprenticed Investor: Take Responsibility for Your Stock Losses

That sounds pretty straightforward, but for some reason it seems to be a problem in our society. Few want to take responsibility for their actions or situation, if they can avoid it.

Think I'm exaggerating? Every kid who does poorly in school gets diagnosed with ADHD. We are fat because of McDonald's MCD. There are shootings because of TV violence.

In sum, it's easier to pass the buck than to admit the truth.

Bad Excuses for Poor Investments

At times, the excuse-making from investors is even worse. Over the years, I have heard every complaint imaginable for why losses occur. Inevitably, these gripes go something like this: "It's not my fault but the fault of:

  • The analyst analyst who recommended it.
  • The banker who did the deal.
  • CNBC, which hyped it.
  • The talking head who loved it.
  • My brother-in-law, who got a hot tip on it.
  • "

    I've heard people complain about their broker's broker bad advice, the lousy execution they got, and how a market maker market-maker or specialist specialist hurt their trade. Other kvetches? Management stinks, insiders insider-trading are dumping shares, regulators are overzealous. Margin calls margin-call did it. Or was it the president's policies or congressional gridlock or Chinese imports? Really, who can trade when the economic data are cooked, and the "Plunge Protection Team" counters your best positioning?

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    Barry Ritholtz is the chief market strategist for Ritholtz Research, an independent institutional research firm, specializing in the analysis of macroeconomic trends and the capital markets. The firm's variant perspectives are applied to the fixed income, equity and commodity markets, both domestically and internationally. Other areas of research coverage also include consumer, real estate, geopolitics, technology and digital media. Ritholtz is also president of Ritholtz Capital Partners (RCP), a New York based hedge fund. RCP is driven by the analysis performed by Ritholtz Research. Ritholtz appreciates your feedback; click here to send him an email.

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