If there is one term over-used when talking about making investments in the stock market I would think that term would be: buy low, sell high.

Buy low? Sell high? How low is low and how high is high? I like the term buy low, sell dear, much better! But better still are the terms buy and hold, and dollar-cost-averaging (buying the same stock at different prices through the years). For within those two stock market terms, in my opinion, lies the path for successful stock market investments.

For me, if a buy and hold strategy is used, then I want to be paid for using it, and if a dollar-cost-averaging strategy is used, I don't want to be charged commission fees for the future dollar-cost-averaging purchases.

Therefore, in order to be paid for the buy and hold strategy the companies purchased must pay me every 3 months. If a company cannot pay me every 3 months for buying and holding their stock, then I don't want to buy and hold their stock. The payment is called a dividend, and the dividend varies with each buy and hold company owned. This buy and hold strategy co-exist with dollar-cost-averaging. The monies paid by the company every quarter through the buy and hold strategy is used to purchase more shares of their company. The company does this commission-free, and is automatic every quarter through the years of ownership.

The brokerage houses of today, to compete with most dividend paying companies, now offer the same commission-free service when having dividends rolled back into a company's stock. Only you are going to have to tell them you want the dividends rolled back into the stock (sometimes you have to tell them twice, since it is not one of their high priorities; after all, they are in the commission business).

To read the PREFACE from the book 'The Stockopoly Plan - Investing for Retirement.' Visit: www.thestockopolyplan.com

Charles M. O'Melia is an individual investor with almost 40 years of experience and passion for the stock market. The author of the book The Stockopoly Plan ? Investing for Retirement; published by American-Book Publishing. You can invest in the book at http://www.pdbookstore.com/comfiles/pages/CharlesMOMelia.shtml

You have permission to publish this article either electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the author bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated. Please email to mailto:charles@thestockopolyplan.com