re: OT- Cooking the Books

Short term means nothing, unless you are a day trader.

I have some advice for when you are interested in purchasing a stock or fund.

I noticed you purchased those shares of IRR immediately.

You should never pay the market price for a stock because between the time you order and the order goes through the price can freakishly spike, then decline. You can end up paying too much.

Instead, you should make a limit order. Study the price history of the stock, then order it at a limit price. Select the average lower price for the stock that it often falls to. Then be patient and wait.

Chances are you will always get the stock or fund at a lower price. The stock market always fluctuates and you can almost surely count on purchasing those shares for cheaper, especially after a bad day, week, or month.