Taking out a prosper loan to buy stocks

[wdcbooks]

There are days when this forum really delivers. As an investment professional I am torn between cringing and laughing. A couple of points:'

1. Why do you keep ignoring the questions about margin? People are pointing out a less costly way for you to indulge your wacky investment plan.

2. Let us assume the market is wholly efficient. Because the OP is choosing just five stocks there is a not-insignificant chance that he will reach his goals by pure random chance. That prospect pains me.

3. I don't believe the academic research supports the idea of 'great' stock pickers. Even if they exist I feel perfectly comfortable saying that you are not one of them. I don't see how you could possibly have some insight into the correct pricing of a given security. Let's say, for example, you believe that Sony has a terrific product line and you see a groundswell of unexpected support for the PS3. How do you determine if that expectation is already priced into the price of the stock?

This is so much like playing something like roulette that I can't avoid the analogy. It is like some guy who is certain that black comes up far more often than it should so he borrows money to bet black fifteen times in a row. He will probably lose on the bet, he will certainly lose on the interest paid, but there is a small, but not miniscule, chance that he will end up ahead and continue to believe in his own genius.