Profits may lie where only fools fear to tread

I admit it: I am not a good investor. Actually, I feel more like a loser in face of the unprecedented bull run than I did during the market's long, bearish winter.

Do not get me wrong. I am not losing money. But the profit of about 20 percent that I have made so far from my small portfolio of stocks and funds since the second half of last year is almost embarrassing, given the many people these days who boast of multiplying their original investment several times.

It is not that I am a terrible stock picker. In hindsight, some of my choices were brilliant, having doubled or tripled over the past year. But knowing what to buy is only half the formula for success. The other is timing - knowing when to sell and take profits.