I'm Selling Stocks, Moving to Cash; Should You?

Having no housing payment boils down to an objective. If I reach it, I have a fighting chance of achieving the remaining goals I listed earlier.

After seemingly endless thought, I came to the conclusion that I should deploy my monthly cash in two ways: Eradicate all debt (but allow the low-interest rate student loans to persist) and unwind 80% of my stock portfolio into a cash position. By doing this, I increase my rate of savings by roughly 50% each month.

I give up the potential for the return that equities can produce, but I also eliminate risks, such as frustrating, even if temporary, on-paper losses and long recovery periods after, say, a dive off of the fiscal cliff.

With ample cash flow and the need for a large sum money within two years to cover a down payment on an income property, I see no sense in taking on any risk whatsoever.

In fact, in a situation where monthly cash flow comes in at several times monthly expenses, I'm not sure it ever makes sense to take on more than minimal risk. Cash flow provides safety and less anxious nights, and you do not have to give up much in the process.

Simply put, if you can achieve your goals and objectives within a reasonable amount of time, why shouldn't you do it primarily with cash? That's an open question, but I think it's one that more people should ask.

In recent weeks, I exited positions in BCE Inc. (BCE), Intel (INTC) and Time Warner (TWX). By the end of the year, I will have taken profits in Rogers Communications (RCI) and Microsoft (MSFT).

I will continue to hold a handful of speculative positions for the long-term, particularly Facebook (FB), Pandora (P) and, if Mark Pincus steps up sometime soon, Zynga (ZNGA).

My approach does not apply in every situation. And, even if we share circumstances, you might opt to go in a completely different direction.

I do think, however, that my experience warrants consideration from several standpoints. I end with a series of brainstormed questions that sum up a main perspective to consider:

Should you direct all of your cash towards getting rich? Or are you better served trimming risk, potentially at the expense of profit, and using your cash to reach realistic goals and objectives within a reasonable time frame? Can considerable cash flow decrease the emphasis on investing, making savings the primary strategy in the near-term and, quite possibly, the long-term?

Follow @RoccoPendola

At the time of publication, the author was long FB, MSFT, RCI, P and ZNGA.

This article is commentary by an independent contributor, separate from TheStreet's regular news coverage.

Rocco Pendola is a private investor with nearly 20 years experience in various forms of media, ranging from radio to print. His work has appeared in academic journals as well as dozens of online and offline publications. He uses his broad experience to help inform his coverage of the stock market, primarily in the technology, Internet and new media spaces. He has taken a long-term approach to investing, focusing on dividend-paying stocks, since he opened his first account as a teenager. Pendola, 37, is based in Santa Monica, Calif., where he lives with his wife and child.

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