@eht, my stock trading practice is not a secret. There is an element of luck involved, of course, but proper hedging and some patience erases any losses. Any recovery of losses are small and overcome using my method of investing and trading. But there's no secret, just keep it simple. Do not manage more than 10 stocks at any given time. Mind you, I refer to individual company "stock", not mutual funds. These stocks should be in a sector that you understand well. You must have a knowledge for what makes each stock tick, their strengths and weaknesses, their management style, the seasonality or market forces that affect each one of them. Tracking more than 10 stocks won't provide you the sufficient time to track and study each one well enough to make a decisive trade in or out of the stock. Once you pick 10 stocks, keep them for at least one year. You can reallocate your holdings in each one all you like, but keep them. Once a year, throw out the 2 stocks that provided the least returns and bring in two others to replace them. Be dedicated and don't cut corners. Read reputable articles on each company. Research their competition. With a disciplined approach to this investing method, you will likely not lose money. With a little luck, you can see 27% annual returns too, although 12-18% is very possible.