When to Sell a Stock?  1-2-shabadoo BIG for Main Pic    When you
buy a stock, ETF, i.e. a security -- you are set on making a
profit. Take an old man stock like General Electric (GE).   You
plan on buying this stock after you have done your homework. 
You believe after 'X' amount of time GE will hit $24, your
target price.  That's when you sell.  It works out to a 14%
return on investment.   When you buy a stock create a simple
spreadsheet or Google document that contains your target price
estimates.  It contains the ticker, the entry price (price you
payed for it), your target price (and date), and the %
increase/loss.  Use a simple formula that does the calcuation
for you so you can play with the numbers.  This allows you to
get a feel for what you are hoping to achieve.  If you are
paying thousands from your hard earned savings then take the
time to record a simple ledger as shown below.  DO NOT MAKE a
trade without pondering the target price and how/why it will get
there.  Ticker Entry Price (11/13/2012)