I Paid Off My Mortgage!!

On August 18, 2015, I had made two big decisions: to pay off my mortgage as quickly as possible and to contribute $3,000 per year to my Roth IRA account.  On that same day, I also set a goal to pay off my mortgage by the end of 2019.  It has now been a little under a year and I have done it!  I have officially paid off my mortgage today!  I can't even describe how wonderful the feeling is... it's like this weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  I feel this sense of freedom and joy I never imagined I would feel.  I now can sleep better knowing that if something were to happen to me or I were to lose my job (God forbid), at least my family would have a roof over their head.

I Refuse To Sell Stocks At A Loss

In my years of investing, I have always refused to sell stocks at a loss.  Now I know some people may think this is foolish since many investors sell at a loss to harvest capital losses or to cut their losses.  Personally, I would rather hold a stock with huge unrealized losses on paper than to sell them and realize those losses as a reality.  If you don't sell the stock at a loss, you don't actually recognize the loss; you just have an unrealized loss on paper.  Once you sell it, that money is lost and gone.  I know people say you sell to cut your losses, but for me, if I'm a long term investor, then I plan on sticking around for the long haul.  Most people forget that when you purchase a stock, you are essentially purchasing a business.  Every business will have its ups and downs; you just have to be able to stick with them through the good times and the bad times.