There is much talk in the sports world about running up the score...when a team keeps scoring points after they have reached the point when it is obvious that they have more than enough points to win the game.

Chuck Jaffe on MarketWatch.com asks the question if you're running up the score in your mutual funds.  To read his article, click here.

This reminds me of a saying a saying on Wall Street, often repeated by Jim Cramer on Mad Money on CNBC, that "Bulls make money, bears make money, pigs get slaughtered".  What this phrase means is that getting greedy often ends in disaster.  If your investment does really well, particularly if there is no good reason for the movement, then you may want to consider taking some profits before the market moves the other way and wipes out your gains. 

One example of this over the past decade is the internet stock boom.  People who rode their stocks up to the moon, but didn't cash out, found that their portfolios had been wiped out when the market turned against the dot com stocks with no profit.

From the Bible, Proverbs 25:16 advises, "If you find honey, eat just enough— too much of it, and you will vomit." 

Similarly, Proverbs 28:19-20 warns us about trying to acquire wealth using get rich schemes :

"19 He who works his land will have abundant food,
       but the one who chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

 20 A faithful man will be richly blessed,
       but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished."

The amount of risk is your portfolio should be appropriate for your time horizon and risk tolerance.  If you need help, I advise relying upon a trusted friend or financial adviser.  "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed." (Proverbs 15:22).  Similarly, Proverbs 16:20 states, "Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers,  and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD."

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