What is it you're most afraid of when it comes to stock investing?

[dreamxite]

Hi fellow investors, just curious to find out what is it you're most afraid of when it comes to stock investing? I am not talking about external factors like market volatility etc but internal stuff like picking stocks, studying companies, portfolio etc. And what does it frustrate you to think about? What obstacles regularly present themselves?

[forummm]

Hi fellow investors, just curious to find out what is it you're most afraid of when it comes to stock investing? I am not talking about external factors like market volatility etc but internal stuff like picking stocks, studying companies, portfolio etc. And what does it frustrate you to think about? What obstacles regularly present themselves?

I'm most frustrated about not being able to accurately predict the exact future stock prices of individual companies. And since almost no one can do that reliably, it tends to make sense to just index.

And I'm also frustrated that prices are so high now. I wish they could go back down so that my paychecks would be buying a more historically reasonable amount of mutual funds. I'll have to work longer with these high valuations.

[mrpercentage]

I hate it when I am waiting for funds to transfer so I can take advantage of something I see.

I hate it when I'm right and second guess myself.

I get frustrated having a deep certainty that I am right about a stock and having to wait for an irrational market focused on a bunch of maybes to see what I have been seeing. It's like working for a dumb boss. Thats frustrated me most my life.

When you are selling equity stocks for the capital gains it's sucks to have to choose witch one.

It sucks to have a limit order miss by $0.10. I have learned to be generous with my limit orders so they take. You could double that with limit sells as well as buys.

But the grand daddy is it sucks that we are taxed on money we risk investing. They don't subsidize us if we lose do they. Triple taxation.

It sucks that a sector ETF can punish your stock.

I'm not negative but you asked for the negatives.

Oh yeah I don't like it if they lolly gag giving your money back to you. If it's sold give me my money. I also don't like if they make you use some weird transfer service or make you set up a new bank account or call them for a check. Direct deposit my money. Direct deposit my dividends.

[forummm]

But the grand daddy is it sucks that we are taxed on money we risk investing. They don't subsidize us if we lose do they. Triple taxation.

Not true. They absolutely let you deduct capital losses. In an unlimited amount against your capital gains, and in a limited amount against other income. And capital gains are taxed at a rate significantly less than earned income. You're getting a huge break by earning money with money instead of earning money with labor.

Oh yeah I don't like it if they lolly gag giving your money back to you. If it's sold give me my money. I also don't like if they make you use some weird transfer service or make you set up a new bank account or call them for a check. Direct deposit my money. Direct deposit my dividends.

Vanguard lets me do this. The money is there within 1-2 days. Index funds are incredibly convenient.

[Tyson]

I literally just started with a Vanguard account this week.  I'm afraid the stock market will stop growing.  But not really.  It's just that irrational part of my brain trying to deal with a situation where I don't have any real control over the outcome.

[iamlindoro]

I literally just started with a Vanguard account this week.  I'm afraid the stock market will stop growing.  But not really.  It's just that irrational part of my brain trying to deal with a situation where I don't have any real control over the outcome.

Give it time.  Just as time smooths out the volatility in the share price itself (and the trend is generally up), time also smooths out your anxieties.  Once you're sitting on a few years of gains, a correction won't be a big deal.

[forummm]

I literally just started with a Vanguard account this week.  I'm afraid the stock market will stop growing.  But not really.  It's just that irrational part of my brain trying to deal with a situation where I don't have any real control over the outcome.

When you're a long-term investor, it doesn't matter so much if the market stops growing for awhile or goes down. Just keep buying. In a decade or two or seven when you need the money, it will have grown a LOT.

[a1smith]

i'm most afraid that just when I get everything set just the way I need it the government will go and change all of the rules!  :-O

[My Own Advisor]

Wishing I had more to invest, to retire sooner, and end the rat race... :)

So afraid, fear?  Not much.  Living for today and planning for tomorrow!