📖John Neff

Sell Discipline Rules

🌿 Intermediate★★★★★

Follow pre-defined sell criteria without emotion.

💬

Have clear, pre-defined sell criteria. Sell when: your thesis is broken, valuation is fully realized, or a significantly better opportunity appears.

— John Neff on Investing,1999

🏠 Everyday Analogy

A process is like a pilot checklist: discipline prevents simple mistakes when pressure rises and keeps outcomes more repeatable.

📖 Core Interpretation

John Neff advocates a repeatable process: define criteria, execute consistently, and review decisions against evidence. Process quality drives outcome consistency.
💎 Key Insight:Disciplined selling prevents emotional decision-making.

AI Deep Analysis

Get personalized insights and practical guidance through AI conversation

❓ Why It Matters

Without process, there is no reliable feedback loop. Structured execution and review improve decision quality over time.

🎯 How to Practice

Run a decision loop of research, thesis, execution, and post-mortem; document assumptions and update playbooks with evidence, not hindsight bias.

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

Having opinions without execution criteria
Reviewing outcomes but not decisions
Abandoning rules during volatility spikes

📚 Case Studies

1
General Electric Revaluation (1982)
Early 1980s recession fears pushed GE’s P/E below market averages despite solid cash flows and strong business franchises. Neff accumulated shares, expecting profit growth to resume with economic recovery.
✨ Outcome:As earnings and confidence improved through the 1980s, GE’s stock and valuation rose, producing significant outperformance.
2
Ford Motor in a Recession (1974)
During the 1973–74 bear market, Ford’s stock collapsed amid recession fears and auto industry weakness.
✨ Outcome:Neff bought at low P/E with strong dividend; total return surged as profits and sentiment normalized.

See how masters handle real scenarios?

30 real investment dilemmas answered by legendary investors

Explore Scenarios →