Volatile stock market
conditions like we have experienced lately can cause anxiety and induce people
to sell their stocks and wait for “a better time to invest”, in other words,
“time” the market. History shows there can be a big cost in attempting to time
the market. A recent Morningstar study shows that during the 20 years ending
December 31, 2019, if one remained fully invested in stocks, the average annual
return was 6.1%. If one missed the 10 best days of the market, the return
dropped to 2.2%. If one missed the best 20 days of market, the return was
actually negative, -0.13%. The point? Emotionally-driven market timing usually
fails and can have a material adverse impact on the success of one’s
investments and financial plan.
Bob Toomey, CFA/CFP
VP, Research
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