My problem is knowing when to get off a stock. Like Rob said, once you drop the stock it changes direction and goes up. So you try to hold it for a little longer in hopes it will turn, and the next thing you are in so deep that it is becomes a real pocket emptier. The stop losses are OK, but how many time can you take the losses before your account runs dry? Cutting the amount of stock bought will give you a smaller loss, but in order over come the commission cost you have let the price of the stock raise higher. It is like a catch 22.