You may lose in the short term, so be prepared.

Back in August TD was calling H&R REIT a Buy. I liked reading that as I have held that stock for quite some time. It has gone up and it has come down, but while oscillating up and down it has never reached its target price. I read the August prediction and felt my faith in this stock was well placed. I'd soon be in the black.

What is H&R at today (Oct. 1, 2018)? Would you believe $19.71. Heck, it was at $20.36 back in August. (And it is dropping even more as I write this post)

My point? Buying stock is not without risk. No matter what analysts are saying, their predictions can be wide of the mark. If you are getting into the market, be prepared to lose money as well as make it.

Do your homework and if you bought quality with a nice, safe dividend as part of the deal, hold on. You will eventually come out O.K. and you will get paid nicely for your patience.

I like to think that my investment in HR.UN pays me a 7% yield. I don't dwell on the loss. And, if it drops 10% or more from its recommended price, I'll re-evaluate the stock and, if it checks all the correct boxes, I'll possibly buy some more. I'll have averaged down. I'll sell the shares that push me over my allocation when the stock climbs out of the cellar. I don't like to hold more than my allocation for any stock. I aim for diversity.

And how long do I anticipate holding on to a disappointing stock purchase. Answer: from eight months to two years but it can be longer. With H&R REIT yielding more than 7% annually, I can hold on to it indefinitely. In retirement, I need the income to live and it is delivering. To that extent, my investment in H&R REIT is a success.

(I has another stock that performed very much like H&R REIT. That was Suncor. It went up and it went down but never hit its target. After years of holding it, it climbed above my purchase price and I bailed with a little profit and all the dividends paid over the years, of course. Free of the stock, I sat on the sidelines and watched it climb to about twenty percent above my original price. I didn't mourn my selling. I was happy to be free of it.)