Tom--ism's

Tom--ism's...... about investing. These are some gems I have remembered over the years. Though these are not my original ideas, I believe these are good rules to follow, so let’s call these phrases "Tom--ism's":

"The United States is a great country"

"Markets go up and markets go down...the nightly news will sensationalize any move."

"If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is not true."

"There is no such thing as a free lunch."

"When you get your paycheck, "pay yourself first" before you spend your money paying bills."

"Have an emergency fund worth 3 to 6 months of expenses."

"Money that is needed in the next few months up till five years should not be invested in stocks."

"You may want to have some of your mid-term (five to ten years) money invested in quality bonds and a little into Growth & Income stocks."

"Good quality investments go up and down in value. If they are part of your long term investment goals, why would you sell them when they are down in value?"

"When you get a pay raise; take half of it and improve your standard of living. Take the other and invest it for your goals."

"Most of us (investors) should own and invest in a Roth IRA. I will explain why."

"Retirement is the process of getting a paycheck from your nest egg rather than receiving one from your employer."

"The goal of retirement is to have a retirement nest egg large enough that will keep growing so you do not run out of nest before you run out of life."

"Your 65 year old grandparents are long term investors. Grandma is likely to live into her late 80s; Grandpa into his mid-80s."

"If you retire and you are on a fixed income, you have no one to blame but yourself."