Whether you are new to investing or consider yourself an experienced professional, a plan is always a good idea.
Below I share how I plan for the week ahead when it comes to investing.
I typically run through these steps on a Sunday morning or Sunday afternoon during my “leisure” time or as time permits.
It doesn’t take long.
Plus – if you love investing as much as I do, you’ll love doing this and will look forward to going through the steps weekly or a couple of times per month.
#1. Go over your Stocks Watchlist and make a plan of action.
A Stocks Watchlist is simply a list of Stocks or Funds (ETFs or Index Funds) that you want to buy. You can make this yourself using pen and paper, Google Sheets, or Excel.
Some of the information you can include is the name of the stock or fund, the ticker symbol, the the price, and any other information you deem important.
Don’t feel like making the list yourself? Invest our exclusive Watchlist Worksheet. You’ll get the original worksheet I share with my students in the Stocks Bootcamp, instructions on how to complete it, and access to me if you have any questions :). Grab it for $9.99 $4.99.
Take a look at your list every week and ask yourself if it’s still “accurate” – Perhaps you want to add new companies to the list or remove any stock that you no longer have an interest in buying.
How is this helpful? Well, if during the week ahead you notice that the market is going through a sudden “downturn,” you’ll be able to immediately pull out your list to see if any of your prospective investments have gone “on sale.”
Instead of panicking on rough days, you’ll look forward to looking at your watchlist and might get excited to do some shopping.
OR, you can also choose to ignore whatever is going on in the markets and go on about your life 😉.
#2. Check your investment account – do you have any cash available? Or, is all the money you have in there 100% invested?
Having cash on the sidelines is always a good idea. You’ll have the money there to take full advantage whenever opportunities present themselves. If there is no cash in your account and there’s something you want to buy, you’ll need to go transfer money manually, which can take 2-3 business days, depending on your broker.
Pro-Tip: The best way to always have “fresh” cash in your investment account is by setting up automatic transfers from your checking to your investment account at the interval of your preference and the dollar amount you can comfortably afford. For example, $50 a week or $150 a month.
#3. Check if any of the companies where you own stock will be reporting earnings that upcoming week.
There’s a little something called “Earnings Season” that happens every few months. Earning Reports are the perfect opportunity to get a “briefing” directly from “the horse’s mouth” regarding how a particular company is doing. You’ll get informed about any new developments, changes, or acquisitions that can internally impact the business for better or for worse. An informed investor is a successful investor.
And that’s all, folks! Let me know what you think. Is there anything else you would add to this list?
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Cheers to Health & Profits,
Mabel
Girl$ on The Money 