My Dumbest Investment

My tale of stupidity is from my purchase of stock in Taser, the maker of electronic protection and control devices. My wife told me about the company, and I liked its uniqueness. I bought $2,000 worth of shares at $13, followed by another $2,000 at $17. I watched it rise to a little over $20. Then word came out that airline pilots could carry guns in the cockpit. Well, I sold, making a few bucks and feeling like a genius as the stock dropped to $5 per share. Then it rose to $150 — and kept surging! I calculated that if I had just left well enough alone, I would have made more than $100,000 from a $4,000 investment. The moral of the story: If you really like and believe in a stock, leave it alone and maybe buy more on the dips. On occasion, you might take some profits.

— M.S., online

The Fool Responds: Your investment would actually be underwater now, as Taser shares have struggled recently. Still, many are bullish on its future.

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