📖Peter Lynch

Regular Check-ups

🌿 Intermediate★★★★★

Review your holdings periodically to verify the original investment thesis still holds true.

💬

Keep up with your stocks the same way you keep up with your health.

— *One Up On Wall Street*，1989

🏠 Everyday Analogy

Just as regular health check-ups can detect physical issues early, periodic reviews of your stock holdings can reveal whether the underlying investment thesis has deteriorated. One should not simply buy stocks and then neglect them, as if planting seeds and walking away. Instead, they require ongoing attention—like tending to plants—by providing timely "watering" and "fertilizing," and promptly addressing any signs of "pests or diseases" that may arise.

📖 Core Interpretation

Regularly review your holdings to ensure the underlying investment thesis remains valid.
💎 Key Insight：Lynch recommends checking in on your stocks every few months, not every day. Look for changes in earnings trends, competitive position, management quality, and balance sheet health. The goal is not to react to price movements but to verify that the fundamental story remains intact. If nothing has changed, hold with confidence. If something material has shifted, act decisively.

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❓ Why It Matters

Company circumstances are subject to change and require ongoing monitoring.

🎯 How to Practice

Review the portfolio holdings quarterly, examining profit trends, competitive landscape, and valuation levels.

🎙️ Master's Voice

Long shots almost always miss the mark.
Lynch avoided speculative bets. His winners were solid businesses, not lottery tickets. Consistent base hits beat swinging for home runs.

⚔️ Practical Guide

✅ Decision Checklist

  • Is this a solid investment or speculation?
  • Am I reaching for long shots?
  • Is this a reasonable bet?

📋 Action Steps

  1. Avoid speculative long shots
  2. Invest in solid businesses
  3. Seek reasonable probability of success

🚨 Warning Signs

  • Speculative bets
  • Long-shot investments
  • Lottery ticket mentality

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

✕Avoid Overtrading
✕The purpose of review is to confirm, not to make frequent adjustments.

📚 Case Studies

1
Ford Motor Recovery (1982)
Lynch monitored Ford’s turnaround, regularly reviewing earnings, auto sales, and management execution during the early 1980s recession recovery.
✨ Outcome：Continued holding as improving fundamentals confirmed the thesis, contributing strongly to Magellan Fund’s outperformance.
2
Fannie Mae Reassessment (1985)
Frequent check-ups on Fannie Mae’s earnings, credit quality, and interest-rate exposure validated its undervaluation despite market worries.
✨ Outcome：Maintained a large position; stock appreciated multiple times, becoming one of Lynch’s classic winners.

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