A successful investor maximizes gain and minimizes loss. Though there can be no guarantee that any investment strategy will be successful, and all investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, here are six basic principles, which may help you invest more successfully.
Long-term compounding can help your nest egg grow
It’s the “rolling snowball” effect. Simply put, compounding pays you earnings on your reinvested earnings. The longer you leave your money at work for you, the more exciting the numbers get. For example, imagine an investment of $10,000 at an annual rate of return of 8 percent. In 20 years, assuming no withdrawals, your $10,000 investment would grow to $46,610. In 25 years, it would grow to $68,485, a 47 percent gain over the 20-year figure. After 30 years, your account would total $100,627.
This simple example also assumes no taxes are paid along the way, so all money stays invested. This would be the case in a tax-deferred individual retirement account or qualified retirement plan. The compounded earnings of deferred tax dollars are the main reason experts recommend fully funding all tax-advantaged retirement accounts and plans available to you.
While you should still review your portfolio on a regular basis, money left alone in an investment offers the potential of a significant return over time. With time on your side, you don’t have to go for investment “home runs” to be successful.
Endure short-term pain for long-term gain
Riding out market volatility sounds simple, doesn’t it? But what if you’ve invested $10,000 in the stock market and the price of the stock drops like a stone one day? On paper, you’ve lost a bundle, offsetting the value of compounding you’re trying to achieve. It’s tough to stand pat.
There’s no denying it — the financial marketplace can be volatile. Still, it’s important to remember two things. First, the longer you stay with a diversified portfolio of investments, the more likely you are to reduce your risk and improve your opportunities for gain. Although past performance doesn’t guarantee future results, the long-term direction of the stock market has historically been up. Consider your time horizon when establishing your investment game plan. For assets you’ll use soon, you may not have the time to wait out the market and should consider investments designed to protect your principal. Conversely, think long-term for goals that are many years away.
Second, during any given period of market or economic turmoil, some asset categories and some individual investments have historically been less volatile than others. Bond price swings, for example, have generally been less dramatic than stock prices. Diversification can minimize your risk somewhat by spreading your holdings among various classes of assets, as well as different types of assets within each class.
Spread your wealth through asset allocation
Asset allocation is the process by which you spread your dollars over several categories of investments — usually referred to as asset classes. The three most common asset classes are stocks, bonds, and cash or cash alternatives such as money market funds. You’ll also see the term “asset classes” used to refer to subcategories, such as aggressive growth stocks, long-term growth stocks, international stocks, government bonds (U.S., state, and local), high-quality corporate bonds, low-quality corporate bonds, and tax-free municipal bonds. A basic asset allocation would likely include at least stocks, bonds (or mutual funds of stocks and bonds), and cash or cash alternatives.
There are two main reasons why asset allocation is important. First, the mix of asset classes you own is a large factor — some say the biggest factor by far — in determining your overall investment portfolio performance. In other words, the basic decision about how to divide your money between stocks, bonds, and cash can be more important than your subsequent choice of specific investments.
Second, by dividing your investment dollars among asset classes that do not respond to the same market forces in the same way at the same time, you can help minimize the effects of market volatility while maximizing your chances of return in the long term. Ideally, if your investments in one class are performing poorly, assets in another class may be doing better. Any gains in the latter can help offset the losses in the former and help minimize their overall impact on your portfolio.
Consider your time horizon in your investment choices
In choosing an asset allocation, you’ll need to consider how quickly you might need to convert an investment into cash without loss of principal (your initial investment). Generally, the sooner you’ll need your money, the wiser it is to keep it in investments whose prices remain relatively stable. For example, you want to avoid a situation, where you need to use money quickly that is tied up in an investment whose price is currently down.
Therefore, your investment choices should consider how soon you’re planning to use your money. If you’ll need the money within the next one to three years, you may want to consider keeping it in a money market fund or other cash alternative whose aim is to protect your initial investment. Your rate of return may be lower than with more volatile investments such as stocks, but you’ll breathe easier knowing the principal you invested is relatively safe and quickly available, without concern over market conditions on a given day. Conversely, if you have a long time-horizon — like investing for a retirement that’s many years away — you may be able to invest a greater percentage of your assets in something with more dramatic price changes but greater potential for long-term growth.
Dollar cost averaging: investing consistently and often
Dollar cost averaging is a method of accumulating shares of an investment by purchasing a fixed dollar amount at regularly scheduled intervals over an extended time. When the price is high, your fixed-dollar investment buys less. When prices are low, the same dollar investment buys more shares. A regular, fixed-dollar investment should result in a lower average price per share than you would get buying a fixed number of shares at each investment interval. A workplace savings plan, such as a 401(k) plan that deducts the same amount from each paycheck and invests it through the plan, is one of the most well-known examples of dollar cost averaging in action.
An alternative to dollar cost averaging would be trying to “time the market” – an effort to predict how the price of shares will fluctuate in the months ahead so you can make your full investment at the absolute lowest point. However, market timing is generally unprofitable guesswork. The discipline of regular investing is a much more manageable strategy and has the added benefit of automating the process.
Buy and hold, don’t buy and forget
Unless you plan to rely on luck, long-term success will depend on periodically reviewing your portfolio. Maybe economic conditions have changed the prospects for a particular investment or an entire asset class. Also, your circumstances change over time, and your asset allocation will need to reflect those changes. For example, as you get closer to retirement, you might decide to increase your allocation to less-volatile investments, or to those that can provide a steady stream of income.
Another reason for periodic portfolio review — your various investments will likely appreciate at different rates, which will alter your asset allocation without any action on your part. For example, if you initially decided on an 80 percent to 20 percent mix of stock investments to bond investments, you might find after several years the total value of your portfolio has become divided 88 percent to 12 percent (conversely, if stocks haven’t done well, you might have a 70-30 ratio of stocks to bonds). You should review your portfolio periodically to see if you need to return to your original allocation.
To rebalance your portfolio, you would buy more of the asset class that’s lower than desired, possibly using some of the proceeds of the asset class that is now larger than you intended. You could also retain your existing allocation but shift future investments into an asset class you want to build up over time. If you don’t review your holdings periodically, you won’t know whether a change is needed. Many people choose a specific date each year to do an annual review.
Although the investment journey is rewarding, it can also be overwhelming. The advice of an experienced professional can help alleviate some uncertainty and create a clear path toward your financial goals. Make an appointment with an Arvest Wealth Management Client Advisor today to review your current plan or create a new plan.
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