Investing Worth $1 For One Month

Although I am ready to retire in a few years, I have this itch to invest in the stock market. I guess it's like the itch the compulsive gambler gets when he thinks he's got a winner but ends up losing. With the Brexit thingy, everybody expected the worst with stocks and investments and feared that their 401Ks and other retirement investments would see a BIG lost. At first, their fears were realized, while my opportunistic sense for profits was in high gear!

Well, it seems that stocks are rebounding rather nicely on this side of the pond. I was looking forward to buying some winning stocks that were sure to rebound. Most stocks seem to have lost a little while others gained a lot!

Yes, Brexit will affect stocks on their side of the pond for awhile, but it will balance itself out. I am European and realize that European stocks and bonds may have to wait for a couple of years more to give you a good return. Britain was smart, and people fail to realize that Britain never made the Euro its official currency. Rather it decided to keep the Pound as its currency. Now with other countries wanting to exit the EU, it may just create turmoil because they converted their currency to the Euro. So I see a problem if others choose to exit for maybe 3-5 years.

For those of us who look for great investing advice cheap, check out Zacks. This site offers the use of all its premium services for a month for just $1. After that period you can leave, or sign up for various services that can run from $5 a month all the way to over $1000 a year. This service has been extremely informative and my month will end in a couple of weeks. I will sign up for one of their services, I can guarantee that.

Why do I like this site for investing? They break the stocks down from Strong Buy to Strong Sells. They have stocks under $10 that so far perform fairly well. They analyze your Portfolio(s), real or just for research. They give much analysis and strategies that are easy for even the novice to understand.

Now as with anything, there are risks involved with any investment, and I have been ill-advised about one investment, but Zacks more than redeemed themselves since then.

The One I Got Right

Perhaps you missed my last entry, but just so you know, Exelixis is flying high. I've been following this stock for the past three years, and I've seen extreme lows but some extreme highs like the past couple of months. I've lost a significant amount, but now it has more than made back my loss.

What caught my eye and drew me to this company? Look at the description...
Exelixis, Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company. The Company is engaged in developing small molecule therapies for the treatment of cancer. It focuses on the development and commercialization of cabozantinib, an inhibitor of multiple receptor tyrosine kinases, in various tumor indications. Cabozantinib is indicated for the treatment of progressive, metastatic medullary thyroid cancer, and is sold under the brand name COMETRIQ. It is evaluating Cabozantinib in a development program, which consists of over 45 clinical trials, across multiple indications, including pivotal studies in advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Its other products are Cobimetinib and XL888. Cobimetinib is a potent, selective inhibitor of MEK, a kinase that is a component of the RAS/RAF/MEK/ERK pathway. XL888 is a small molecule oral inhibitor of Heat Shock Protein 90 (HSP90), a molecular chaperone protein that affects the activity and stability of a range of regulatory proteins.

Cancer treatments are the future with the aging baby boomers and other generations where cancer will still exist. I'll admit pharmaceuticals are risky since some other company may come up with a generic version. They are a roller coaster ride, so not for the weak hearted.

At one time, all the analysists said don't buy this stock or sell the stock if you have it. Look what they are saying now, here, here and here. Financial advisors might laugh at my layman's assessment. I'm just in shock and awe how this stock is currently flying high!

Weird Scenes Inside The Gold Mine

Stocks are not for the weak-hearted. The ups and downs on a scale resemble that of a person having a heart attack. Stocks are ever changeable, and weak-hearted individuals may  not be able to endure the battle to win the war.

I have been focusing on pharmaceuticals, which some advisors view as risky and fly by night. When Pfizer came out with Viagara, for example, it's stock price was at an all-time high. Today it is average and a risky investment long term.

When it comes to pharm-stock, I find you should strap yourself in for the ride, buy low and sell high, research the uses  of the product and make sure the target audience is dominant in it's a miracle cure for that audience.

Think senior health with baby-boomers aging and needing life-saving drugs. With senior, drugs need to fight cancer and boost immunity.

I came across Exelixis purely by accident. It was under $4 and into cancer research. I bought my shares and went on a wild roller coaster ride that would see me taking heavy monetary hits. At one point it was below $2 and all analysists pointed to not buying and selling. I didn't listen.

Today the stock is over $6. I realize that I am still in for a bumpy ride, but today I am far out of the red with this stock. This stock has now become a must buy, and even skeptics realize it's potential. I've seen my portfolio skyrocket in the past couple of weeks!~

Investing For The Future

In life it is wise to have multiple streams of income. This is a way to ensure that you have a source of income throughout your lifetime to meet your needs. We must prepare for our tomorrow today if we hope to retire comfortably. The idea is to make our money work for us making money rather than sitting idle and losing value.


Saving money is ideal, but if the money is sitting somewhere not earning interest, it is just losing value. There comes a time to take risks with our money and invest in the highest returns we can receive. At the very least, money should be invested in as high interest as possible saving, checking, CD and money market accounts. Find the highest returns and read the terms before you commit.


Lately I have been looking for greater returns since I will retire in about 5-7 years and am looking for greater returns. The most banks give is 1-1.5% return on money market and CDs, so I am looking at stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, etc.


I really don't like to talk about investments because they involve risk and I don't want to be wrong or right about your decisions. I made enough investments where I made money. lost money, and broke out even. It's a matter of learning from experience and what works for A doesn't work for B.


The earlier you start investing  for your retirement the better your earning potential because you are able to take more risk. But the closer to retirement, the more of a conservative portfolio you want. Consult a professional financial advisor for all your investment needs.


Online investing and beyond I like Charles Schwab and Fidelity. These sites are novice friendly and will guide you to your investing needs. Granted that it involves mostly their products, but these are top names in the investing business.


A great way to start investing if retirement is not far away is to go with target funds. These are funds that have a target date to make money. One the best is the Vanguard Target Fund.


The stock market is a funny thing because most of us are clueless just what a money making tool it actually is. We also delay seeking advice from a financial advisor. Stocks I own or am watching:
EWI, GE, ODP and others There are winners and losers that is why diversification is recommended.


Any way you look at it everyone needs multiple sources of income to live comfortably. Simple ideas to build multiple streams of money can be found here, here, here, and even here.

Solid Investment

If you are close to retirement, don't make these mistakes that will derail your plan.

I have a stock that can be very profitable at the expense of unhealthy habits. Even with peaks and dips, Philip Morris will always be profitable. Smokers will continue to smoke and PM will always be in business. Like anything else, stocks come with a risk. If I ever recommended an overall stock that even pays good dividends, it would have to be PM International.

Another stock that profits from smokers is Universal(UVV) that supplies the tobacco. Cigarettes may be unhealthy but most smokers will continue to buy them or cheaper alternatives as prices skyrocket.

Another stock that deals with tobacco among other things is Reynolds American(RAI) which has an affordable price.

Along the lines of cancer research and cures, these stocks seem to be the ones to watch.

Consider adding these stocks to any portfolio.