WOMEN & MONEY

I firmly believe that when it comes to buying and selling stocks, you must trust yourself more than you trust others. If you think that something isn't right in your portfolio, don't ignore those feelings. That doesn't necessarily mean sell; I'm simply saying you might reconsider your positions. Likewise, when your neighbor insists a stock is a loser, but you've done your research and your instincts tell you otherwise, make a small investment in that company. If you don't want to let your fear of loss keep you from an ultimate gain, consider the following pointers:

• Keep a close watch over your stock, paying attention to the daily volume of shares traded. When the volume increases dramatically and the price of the stock falls, that's a danger sign. Similarly, if the past several quarterly reports show the earnings per share are decreasing significantly or future earnings are projected to decline, those are other bad signs.

• Watch for a split. When a company distributes more stock to its shareholders, that's called a stock split. For example, a 2-for-1 stock split means that for every share you held before the split, you now hold two shares at half the pre-split value. If a stock splits twice in less than a year, the stock may be volatile -- and that might spell trouble.

• Look at the overall market. If it's plummeting and you've investigated the tax consequences of selling some or all of your stock, you might prefer to take the loss on next year's tax return. If you're in the market for the long term, ask yourself if you still think you have a great stock. You might prefer to wait out the downturn.

• Follow a stock's moving average - - the average closing price of the stock over a period of time. When a stock falls below its own 20-month moving average, that's a signal to sell at least some of the stock. Charting services on the Internet can help you stay on top of your portfolio.

• If a stock falls 10 percent or more below the price you paid -- without an obvious reason -- and the market or other stocks in that sector are going up, sell at least some of the stock. If, however, the stock has been affected by circumstances you think will change, consider buying more as the price falls.

I'm not recommending throwing everything you have into a stock that's bombing, but by investing small amounts of money each month in a company you believe in, you'll actually benefit from the lower price and be able to buy more shares than you otherwise could have. ¦

- Suze Orman is a best-selling

author and Emmy award-winning TV

host whose new book, "Women and

Money," was published in March 2007.

For details, please visit www.suzeorman.

com.