The Clinic

The Stock Market Clinic serves as a place to work on the health of your portfolio, using our stock picks and general stock market education. The Stock Doctors here at The Clinic began this service because they believe all investors should know that investing can be consistently profitable in an environment such as we find ourselves today. Trillions of dollars is currently caught up in institutions such as mutual and hedge funds. This institutional money is put to work where the best returns can be found -- the stock market.

The stock market has brought home returns of more than 10% over the last hundred years, a statistic that is unmatched by any other investment. As an individual investor, however, that return can be even greater because of the control associated with having your money in your hands. How, you may ask? Those trillions of dollars invested by money managers cannot move on the market without leaving obvious signs. When these signs (nothing secretive, just simply stock price and volume) are examined and paired up with good fundamentals (in other words, sound companies) individuals can reduce risk (because of the "big money" in the stock), while also increasing the chance of above average returns. The control associated with investing on one's own also allows for buying in or selling short when the time is right, using proper buy points and clear sell signals. With an institutional investment (mutual fund, 401K, etc.), this timing of stock trades would take an unreasonable amount of effort and in many cases would not even be possible. Money managers also may have agendas that we are not aware of or, often times, are happy with mediocrity. We won't even discuss the fact that mutual funds, over all, do not show much consistency, so who knows how the fund that brought home a nice return this year will do next year.

With control of one's investments, larger trends can also be used to improve returns. Markets are known to move in long term (one month to three years or more) which can be used to position a portfolio. Bear and bull markets are clear just by looking at a long term chart of any index. There are a number of clear markers that can indicate a market shift and an individual investor can then take advantage where institutional investors cannot. In fact, because institutional investors must move such vast amounts of money and all the while doing so under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), when a market shift does occur, an individual investor can gain from others losses by quickly shifting positions. Shorting stocks allow an investor to make money when stocks loose value, an investing strategy all market participants should use. The Stock Market Clinic can provide members with guidance to short stocks with confidence. This is one of the key tools the Stock Doctors at The Clinic empower members with. The bear market from 2000 to 2003 saw the S&P 500 Index loose more than 50% of it's value (the Nasdaq even more!), a loss in value that could have been an gain in equal value for a portfolio shorting those 500 stocks proportionately.

The Clinic also identifies other market trends for subscribers, trends that are important for a sound long term strategy. Market rallys often have clear cut leaders that can help investors to nab big gains. Leading stocks often times evolve within leading industries and these are the stocks that the Stock Doctors work to identify for members. Uptrends can see big winners, but there will always be many lagging stocks (not all stocks move in the direction of the market, as you probably are well aware of), so it is imperitive that investors concentrate on those stocks that institutional investors are targeting. This strategy helps to put the big money in your corner, allowing individuals to ride the wave of institutional buying. When in a down trend, identifying institutional selling is just as important because this is where large amounts of money can come out of a stock, allowing short sellers to take home big gains.

Confidence in trading is one of the most important components to trading successfully. When investors lack confidence, they may end up giving up and relying instead on the dreaded money manager, the type of move The Stock Market Clinic was designed to help investors avoid. Join the community that takes investing into it's own hands, join The Stock Market Clinic today!