What farmers have known for ages, most brokers do not know. Just as there is a time to sow, and a time to reap, there is a time to buy and there is a time to sell. Stockbrokers have this notion that every second your money is not invested you miss out on this lucrative journey guided by his or her investment acumen, so the right time to buy is when you have the money. Conversely there really is never a good time to sell as stocks are assumed to be on this constant upward trajectory. Only when the crop is rotting in the field and the embarrassment becomes too great will the broker sell (and , of course at the end of the month when there is a need for food on the table). We believe that the best way to make money, presumable that is the purpose of the exercise, is to be rather circumspect about both the buy and the sell. There are 560 different entries on this website, some individual stocks have as many as 40 entries (RY) so it is near impossible to keep track all the time. That is why I like to work with a “first”, if it reaches that you either sell or are on your own (if not stopped out).
Dell is a good example where both sides worked. For whatever reason (see previous blogs) we recommended buying Dell at about $12. A week too late we noticed the triangle and immediately suggested a sell. So far you are up $5 (or $10 if you also short)on a base of $12. If your broker is like the one described above, you have made absolutely nothing.