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There is no shortage of cognitive biases out there that can trip up our brains.

By the last count, there are 188 types of these fallible mental shortcuts in existence, and they constantly impede our ability to make the best decisions about our careers, our relationships, and for building wealth over time.

Biases That Plague Investors

In today’s infographic from StocksToTrade, we dive deeper into five of these cognitive biases – specifically the ones that really seem to throw investors and traders for a loop.

Next time you are about to make a major investing decision, make sure you double-check this list!

Have you ever believed a trend is about to change but your basic, every day indicators don't quite support your theory so you insert different studies, looking for one or two which could support your thesis? Yes, soldier and scout mindsets affect your decision making when investing but remember, that's your theory.  Does the rest of the crowd believe what you do?

One item I completely agree with is the pundits and "know it alls" on entertainment news television.  They're there to entertain you; not make you rich.  I get my economic releases on them and *off* they go the rest of the day.  I trust my charts; charts don't lie.  People do.

Courtesy of Martinkronicle

China’s market downfall has been dramatic and painful for the investors involved. But so far there has been little immediate impact on the rest of the world, because China tightly limits foreign investment in mainland stocks.

China’s stock markets are, for the most part, a mom and pop affair—about 80% of the trading that happens in Shanghai and Shenzhen is done by Chinese individuals. They represent at most 14% of the total Chinese population.

But there’s little doubt the effects of this downturn will be felt globally—it just may take some time. After all, Chinese investors have lost more about $3.4 trillion in equity value from the markets mid-June peak until the July 7 close:

And although the government is supporting state-owned companies in the markets, other companies have seen their market value plummet.

As of July 8, about half of the stocks that traded in Shanghai and Shenzhen have voluntarily halted trading indefinitely—which potentially puts the brakes on everything from co

We've spoken numerous times in Chat about various apps for our smart phones and tablet, but how many apps are truly out there?  Google is alleged to have over 700 apps in Google Play however I've never counted and I'd imagine that number fluctuates continually as old, blah apps are deleted and replaced with hip, upbeat inspirations.  Of course this still does not include apps for Apple iPhones/tablets and those apps just sitting out there on blogs and websites.  It boggles the mind so I began a search and came across this list, which strangely misses tdAmeritrade's Think or Swim app; but what apps do YOU use?  Please add them to the comments below or give us your opinion on those shown.  I'd love to hear from you!

1. CNBC Real-time - Download - Free app that allows you to view real-time quotes before, during and after market hours. Other features include watching CNBC video clips, viewing charts, and managing a watch list.

2. Yahoo! Finance - Download - Yahoo's free stock app offers

Hat tip to Stockchartist for lumping these all together in one handy place. The link to his blog at the bottom of the post. While he does leave out Presidential and mid-term election year theories as well as a few others, these are the basics you'll hear about as you learn to navigate the market.

For years I thought the key to investment success was good stock picking; find the right stocks and you're going to see your portfolio grow. Doesn't "you-know-who" continually say there's always a "bull market somewhere" and all you need to do is find it?

Actually, I, along many others, stopped drinking that cool-aide in 2003 after seeing retirement and savings investments shrink by about 40%. That's when I embraced another belief system. One based on the belief that the key to outstanding financial performance is successfully timing the market. "If you worry about the downturns, the uptrends will take care of themselves."

But there are all sorts of market timing techniques. Right now we're