Vail Financial Focus column: Stay calm on the investment ‘roller coaster’
Financial Focus
Unless you live near an amusement park that does a lot of advertising, you probably didn’t know that Aug. 16 was National Roller Coaster Day. Actual roller coasters provide people with thrills. But as an investor, how can you stay calm on the “roller coaster” of the financial markets?
Here are some suggestions:
• Know what’s in front of you. If you’ve ever ridden a roller coaster in the dark, then you may find it scarier than if you boarded it in daylight — after all, it can be unsettling not to know where you’re going. The same can be said about investing: If you have no idea what’s in front of you, then you might find the journey unnerving, and if that happens, you could make panicky decisions, which are usually bad ones. So prepare for the inevitable market volatility. It’s a normal part of the investment landscape.
• Buckle up. When you’re on a roller coaster, you need to buckle your seat belt or use a restraint. You want to have the excitement of the ride, but you certainly don’t want to take unnecessary risks. And you can enjoy some of the excitement of investing without incurring more risk than you are comfortable with, too.
One way to lower your risk level is to diversify across a range of investments — stocks, bonds, government securities and so on. That way, if a market downturn primarily affects just one type of investment, you’ll have some protection. However, diversification can’t protect against all losses or guarantee a profit.
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• Choose a strategy for the journey. Different people have different ways of handling a roller coaster ride. Some like to throw their hands up, enjoying the feeling of abandon, while others hold on tightly to the bar in front of them. When you invest, you also need a strategy that works for you, and the best one may be the simplest: Buy quality investments and hold them for the long term.
How long is “long term”? It could be 10, 20 or 30 years or more. Famed investor Warren Buffet said his favorite holding period is “forever.” If you’ve chosen a mix of quality investments appropriate for your risk tolerance, then you may be able to hold them until either your goals change or the investments themselves undergo some transformation.
• Stay for the whole “ride.” When you hop on a roller coaster, you’ve got no choice — you’re staying until the ride is over. As an investor, though, you can exit the investment world whenever you like. But if you take a “timeout” from investing every time the market drops, you risk still being out of the market when it rallies, and the early stages of a rally are often when the biggest gains occur.
Furthermore, if you keep investing during a “down” market, you’ll be buying shares when their price has dropped, which means your dollars can go further, and you’ll be following one of the basic rules of investing: Buy low.
You can’t take out all of the twists and turns of the investment road, but by following the above suggestions, you can make the ride less stressful — and maybe more rewarding.
This article was written by Edward Jones for use by local Edward Jones financial advisers. Edward Jones and its associates and financial advisors do not provide tax or legal advice. Chuck Smallwood, Bret Hooper, Tina DeWitt, Charlie Wick, Chris Murray and Kevin Brubeck are financial advisors with Edward Jones Investments. They can be reached in Edwards at 970-926-1728, in Eagle at 970-328-4959 or 970-328-0361 or in Avon at 970-688-5420.
