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Old 10-08-2007, 04:08 PM
DesertCat DesertCat is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Pwned by A-Rod
Posts: 4,236
Default Re: LOL_Niederhofferaments

He's such a smart, interesting guy, but he hasn't just blown up twice, he comes close to blowing up every few years. I think it was 2006 where he lost 30% in a month.

It's stuff like this why I've never been enamored of trading. Anytime you introduce leverage, and operate with very thin edges, volatility can kill you. This guy is one of the most brilliant, greatest traders of all time, and he's constantly trying to avoid total meltdowns.

Value investing allows me to sleep at night. The only leverage I use comes from my home equity, the fact that I still have car loans that I could pay off, etc. Stuff that won't get called if my account declines 35% one day. And I've never been leveraged to even 20% of my portfolio assets. It's slow and boring, but making 20%+ each year will eventually get me to my destination.
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