Can you retire and play stocks?

[Aufan 1983]

A question that has been on my mind lately is if I could take my retirement money and make a living playing stocks. I decided to give it a try by paper trading the value of my stocks and 401-k.

I'm going to play them all but only 2 or 3 pennies at a time and for a limited amount. I will hold most stocks only a few days as I plan to play the bounce on alot of stocks. I have roughly 500k to start and I'm going to prove to myself that I can do it or I can't. I spent several hours the past few days scanning stocks and used prices from 1-29-08 to start yesterday.

I won't bore everyone with every transaction but will update weekly so we can all see what would have become of me (the soup line or an easy living) I have started with 14 stocks. Here is my list going into today and the price I would have bought at.I plan to cut this down to about 6 or 8 stocks. 14 is too many to keep up with since I'm only playing for fun

BEG. BALANCE = 499,946.50


TLB 10,000 @ 8.96
RAD 40,000 @ 2.25
SMRT 10,000 @ 5.98
WCI 8,150 @ 5.15
VMW 500 @ 54.00
JBLU 5000 @ 5.94
WNR 2000 @ 23.00
STEM 5000 @ 1.31
PPCO 5000 @ 4.87
GGC 5000 @ 6.16
RVGD 600,000 @ .0115
ETFC 8,000 @ 4.14
BVRG 16,850 @ .84

[fz4fun]

Excellent experiment Aufan. That same question has dogged me for awhile now. Can I make enough trading to stop the daily grind. I will be watching your progress with interest (and hopefully lots of green days to come)

Good luck

[Aufan 1983]

Originally Posted by fz4fun

Excellent experiment Aufan. That same question has dogged me for awhile now. Can I make enough trading to stop the daily grind. I will be watching your progress with interest (and hopefully lots of green days to come)

Good luck

Thanks FZ.... I hope to turn a little green and once the blue chips start bouncing I'll join the ride

[Aufan 1983]

Originally Posted by Aufan 1983

A question that has been on my mind lately is if I could take my retirement money and make a living playing stocks. I decided to give it a try by paper trading the value of my stocks and 401-k.

I'm going to play them all but only 2 or 3 pennies at a time and for a limited amount. I will hold most stocks only a few days as I plan to play the bounce on alot of stocks. I have roughly 500k to start and I'm going to prove to myself that I can do it or I can't. I spent several hours the past few days scanning stocks and used prices from 1-29-08 to start yesterday.

I won't bore everyone with every transaction but will update weekly so we can all see what would have become of me (the soup line or an easy living) I have started with 14 stocks. Here is my list going into today and the price I would have bought at.I plan to cut this down to about 6 or 8 stocks. 14 is too many to keep up with since I'm only playing for fun


TLB 10,000 @ 8.96
RAD 40,000 @ 2.25
SMRT 10,000 @ 5.98
WCI 8,150 @ 5.15
VMW 500 @ 54.00
JBLU 5000 @ 5.94
WNR 2000 @ 23.00
STEM 5000 @ 1.31
PPCO 5000 @ 4.87
GGC 5000 @ 6.16
RVGD 600,000 @ .0115
ETFC 8,000 @ 4.14
BVRG 16,850 @ .84

Daytrade...... Sold 600,000 RVGD @ 01 = 6000.00
Bought WNBD 260,800 @ .023 = 5,998.40

[Aufan 1983]

Begining Balance = 499,946.50

Balance at the end of day #2 = 565,900.90......... SWEET!!!

[BadThad]

HOLY $HIT! That's one awesome start!

My father did it, he only ever seemed to own 1-3 stocks at a given time and only from solid companies, no pinks. He'd buy thousands of shares of say Microsoft, if moved just a couple cents, he'd bail with a nice little profit. If you have enough cash to leverage, you can make surprizing amounts of money will little moves.....and yet, be fairly safe with a bluechip. He was into optioning his shares, he made good green all the time. I know he particularily liked when someone didn't buy his shares.....just like free cash.

[Aufan 1983]

Originally Posted by BadThad

HOLY $HIT! That's one awesome start!

My father did it, he only ever seemed to own 1-3 stocks at a given time and only from solid companies, no pinks. He'd buy thousands of shares of say Microsoft, if moved just a couple cents, he'd bail with a nice little profit. If you have enough cash to leverage, you can make surprizing amounts of money will little moves.....and yet, be fairly safe with a bluechip. He was into optioning his shares, he made good green all the time. I know he particularily liked when someone didn't buy his shares.....just like free cash.

Thanks BT.....

I know of a guy that is pretty rich and is only in his late 30's and now he only plays stocks and is raking in 200k - 300k per year. He don't even need it. Its only a game for him.

I like your fathers idea..... as you said its pretty safe and should bring some nice returns

[fz4fun]

Originally Posted by Aufan 1983

Thanks BT.....

I know of a guy that is pretty rich and is only in his late 30's and now he only plays stocks and is raking in 200k - 300k per year. He don't even need it. Its only a game for him.

I like your fathers idea..... as you said its pretty safe and should bring some nice returns

I agree with both you and BT here. I just swore off penny stock in January and started playing a couple blue chips (FNM and MBI). Since 1/11 I have netted over 3600 in flipping mainly those 2 and one or 2 other stocks. I am very pleased so far and when I get back all the cash I have lost on penny plays--I will be in the snow in Ohio

I am so tired of working, like you Aufan, and would love to start making real green doing this. As BT said, if you have a big enough stake, not much of a move can make you a nice profit. I flipped MBI & FNM today, bought on a dip and sold 2 hrs later for 750 profit.

Maybe we can all retire if we get a good bull market again. The market is pretty brutal now, but tons of great companies are real cheap right now and can bring long term green for us. I plan on flipping them all the way up and putting the profit in very high yield preferred shares and Royalty Trusts.

Keep on making the green Aufan and you will be doing this for real and no more paper trading

[Aufan 1983]

Originally Posted by fz4fun

I agree with both you and BT here. I just swore off penny stock in January and started playing a couple blue chips (FNM and MBI). Since 1/11 I have netted over 3600 in flipping mainly those 2 and one or 2 other stocks. I am very pleased so far and when I get back all the cash I have lost on penny plays--I will be in the snow in Ohio

I am so tired of working, like you Aufan, and would love to start making real green doing this. As BT said, if you have a big enough stake, not much of a move can make you a nice profit. I flipped MBI & FNM today, bought on a dip and sold 2 hrs later for 750 profit.

Maybe we can all retire if we get a good bull market again. The market is pretty brutal now, but tons of great companies are real cheap right now and can bring long term green for us. I plan on flipping them all the way up and putting the profit in very high yield preferred shares and Royalty Trusts.

Keep on making the green Aufan and you will be doing this for real and no more paper trading

Nothing I would like more than to retire @ 43 I own my business and it has did well for me but I'm just tired of the fight. So many things are changing and between finding people who want to work and the government it makes it very tempting to hang it up and try something different.

[Aufan 1983]

I have decided to post my trades in order for myself as well as everyone else to see where I screwed up and where I cash in.

Todays Trades:

Sell..... 2000 shares WNR @ 22.06 = 44,120.00....... - 1880.00

Sell.... 10,000 shares TLB @ 9.48 = 94,800.00.... + 5200.00

Sell....8150 shares WCI @ 5..15 = 41,972.00 .... EVEN

Sell... 500 shares VMW @ 56.10 = 28,050.00 ... + 1050.00


_______________________
Free Cash = 208,942.50


BUY... 35,000 shares SPF @ 4.30 = 150,500.00

ADDED 10,000 shares RAD @ 3.00 = 30,000.00

ADDED 30,700 shares WNBD @ .029 = 890.03

BUY 2,200 shares IMB @ 9.16 = 20,152.00

BUY 7,400,000 shares @.001 WCDS = 7,400.00