Stock tips for ARTISTS from Kay Hall

As many of you may or may not know I have a private blog, with a very good following  that explores different stock tips that interest me. I am hesitant to discuss this here but due to popular demand I will try to guide some of you into investment possibilities.

Myself and my husband are artists so our income can very dramatically from year to year. Getting to know the stock market is one of the best ways an artist can not only keep afloat but profit wildly.

This is a stock market for artists. Time to INVEST!

You don't have to start big. A little money placed in the right place can do extremely well in this market.

Go online and find a brokerage firm that has a low trade by trade cost. You might find you're a brilliant day tripper so a low cost trade price will help.

First look around your personal world and write a list of the things that your really, really like. I would exclude things related to the food and retail industry I find them too volatile and when there are so many good IPO's forming and since artists have fine tuned intuition and research skills you should explore stuff you use, admire and enjoy.

Once you find what you like Google the company name and add stocks. Up will come this little graph that shows the stock activity as far back as you like. The most important thing you can locate is the lowest that the stock has ever been over two years. Most new IPO's do not have a stock history but it has been in my experience that many companies over eager to attract investor monies get to the market too early and the stock unfortunately starts strong at 15 for example and falls dramatically.

If your looking for solid internet stuff that you can hold over time go with the big boys. Google, Yahoo, Facebook are solid, won't fall much and are what I considered the modern blue chip. You might not make all that much money but you will have a solid stock in your pocket. Some brokerage firms will consider that investment enough to get you a good credit card at a sweet rate.

However, for a little more thrill you can day trip or play options . Options are my favorite. It makes you feel engaged. I am told that  80% of people who play options loose. But these are people who have not educated themselves enough or brokers playing with someone else's money.   Don't worry with the right approach you have a lot more information at your fingertips to make a good decision.  This is great for artists. It is fun, challenging, thrilling and takes a certain intuitive flair. Because we have that flair and some extra time you can babysit the stock.  With the right research you should not be afraid of Options just do the research educate yourself make sure you understand what a strike price is how much your buying the contract for and the Put and Call options. DO THE ARITHMATIC before you buy.  If you want to play start small, expect to loose while you learn but if you have a calling you can do very well in a short period of time. If you have fun you will make money. The trick is finding your niche and expect to loose while you find it. That's the price of your education.

I am being asked about Twitter which will IPO shortly. In my experience when the news media starts reporting on a stock, purchasing time has passed. Too many people swoop in with Facebook hopes, the stock gets elevated and then falls. I don't use Twitter so I won't buy it, but if you do I suggest you buy right away with low expectations or wait six months to follow the stock feed.

One thing you really have to watch with social media stock is where the money is coming from. Find out how Twitter for example brings in hard cash. Most often the revenues are straight advertising dollars but not even the advertisers can find a reliable way to trace the investment on ads to consumer dollars. If you Google "How does Facebook make Money", you will see what I mean.

If you don't see that the advertising dollars are reaching the consumer, trust your gut. There are a  lot more IPO's out there. It's really a great time to invest. The other thing that you must understand is that once a company goes public the company is run by investors. The guy at the helm that got it there is gone and committees decide what direction, who goes where, and with what. This new crew does not give a damn about patience. They want money, they want the stock to go up and they want it now.  Their decisions will affect your stock so do some research on the CEO's. Get their names look them up on the internet, see their pictures and do as much digging as possible.

When that's done  you can make a decision regarding a person or group of people. The most important tip I can give you is to use your gut  on the 'new team'. If they do not inspire your confidence or their views on the environment differ dramatically from yours find another place to put your money. If you like them go for it.

A lot of these so called financial people are artists in their own right. They are very honest and open about the tribe they belong to. If you don't fit into their tribe your money won't either. Think of your money as an extension of yourself that gives you the power to influence the direction of the companies you invest in. Use that power!!!

What a terrible shame. This should be outlawed

I picked up the NY Post today to find out that hunters had joyfully killed a 700 lbs alligator and planned to eat it.

This beautiful specimen, this fantastical creature earned a right to live. Such a murder is not one to be celebrated. It is to be mourned.

"All creatures big and small God loves them all"