London buses - thank you TLF (...and TMF)

[AndyPandy]

Wasn't sure where to put this, so have settled on here.

I started investing in the 1980s. Hope over experience and overtrading meant my returns weren't good. I made classic errors of locking in a few % whilst letting my losses run. Selling Thomson a day or so before it was taken over at what would have been a100% premium for me was a particularly spectacular fail. I've only held one to Bust (Independent Insurance) and only had one double (LO-Q thanks to Carmensfella).

The Motley Fool had a trade stand at an Investment Fair I attended early 1990s. Whilst I didn't blag a mug or a jester cap I think I managed a pen. I'd already started using the site and they were trying to grow (or should that be GRow?).

From those days my investing style has evolved and my churn rate has dropped significantly. Thanks to some of the TMF contributors (tips as well as techniques) I got better. I still enjoy the act of investing and would be contributor non grata on the HYP Board as I feel a Share is for profit, not for Life and do trade. I was taken to task (collectively with others) for discussing a few COVID punts made during the summer on one of the Boards. Who cares? It's my money and I have few vices (never stepped into a Bookies - real or virtual), so it's a hobby for me and the punts paid off.

Because I now hold for longer I've reaped other benefits. A month or so ago, my McCarthy & Stone was Bid for. I'd bought it around June time as it seemed to be such a bargain. Happily someone with bigger pockets recently agreed with me. Then today, my RSA has been outed. I've waited 30 years to be on the receiving end of a share bid and now have had two in a month. Happy days. Neither decision to buy was directly as a suggestion from either place, but the decision to find value and to hold certainly had its origins here (and there).

Thank you TLFers and TMFers. I've put something behind the bar to keep it going a bit longer in these times. RSA will get sold tomorrow as per my Gift Horse strategy and I have a pleasurable weekend deciding where to redeploy the monies.