1. Bulls, Bears Make Money, Pigs Get Slaughtered. It's essential for all traders to know when to take some off the table.
2. Its OK to Pay the Taxes. Stop fearing the tax man and start fearing the loss man because gains can be fleeting.
3. Don't Buy All at Once. To maximize your profits, stage your buys, work your orders and try to get the best price over time.
4. Buy Damaged Stocks, Not Damaged Companies. There are no refunds on Wall Street, so do your research and focus your trades on damaged stocks rather than companies.
5. Diversify to Control Risk. If you control the downside and diversify your holdings, the upside will take care of itself.
6. Do Your Stock Homework. Before you buy any stock, it's important to research all aspects of the company.
7. No One Made a Dime by Panicking. There will always be a better time to leave the table, so it is best to avoid the fleeing masses.
8. Buy Best-of-Breed Companies. Investing in the more expensive stock is invariably worth it because you get piece of mind.
9. Defend Some Stocks, Not All. When trading gets tough, pick your favorite stocks and defend only those.
10. Bad Buys Won't Become Takeovers. Bad companies never get bids, so it's the good fundamentals you need to focus on.
11. Don't Own Too Many Names. It can be constraining, but it's better to have a few positions you know well and like.
12. Cash Is for Winners. If you don't like the market or have anything compelling to buy, it's never wrong to go with cash.
13. No Woulda, Shoulda, Couldas. This damaging emotion is destructive to the positive mindset needed to make investment decisions.
14. Expect, Don't Fear Corrections. It is not always clear when a correction will strike, so expect and be prepared for one at all times.
15. Don't Forget Bonds. It's important to watch more than stocks, and bonds are stocks' direct competition.
16. Never Subsidize Losers With Winners. Any trader stuck in this position would do well to sell sinking stocks and wait a day.
17. Check Hope at the Door. Hope is emotion, pure and simple, and trading is not a game of emotion.
18. Be Flexible. Recognize and be open to the unexpected shifts in the market because business, by nature, is dynamic, not static.
19. When the Chiefs Retreat, So Should You. High-level executives don't quit a company for personal reasons, so that is a sign something is wrong.
20. Giving Up on Value Is a Sin. If you don't have patience, think about letting someone who does run your money.
21. Be a TV Critic. Accept that what you hear on television is probably right, but no more than that.
22. Wait 30 Days After Preannouncements. Preannouncements signal ongoing weakness, wait 30 days to see if anything has gotten better before you pull the trigger to buy.
23. Beware of Wall Street Hype. Never underestimate the promotion machine because analysts get behind stocks and can keep them propelled in an up direction well beyond reason.
24. Explain Your Picks. Buying stocks is a solitary event, too solitary in fact, so always make sure you can articulate your reasoning to someone else.
25. There's Always a Bull Market. It's OK if you have to work hard to find it, just don't default to what's in bear mode because you are time-constrained or intellectually lazy.