It seems like every day someone wants to market time, that is, get out of the market until after the 2020 election. There are some that are so insistent that they close their accounts. Given that 2020 has been a year many of us would like to forget. I can understand their anxiety about the future.

There is no shortage of ‘experts’ giving advice on market timing. That is getting out at the right time and getting back in at the right time.

Since no one can predict the future, this is a huge mistake.

You must decide if you are a gambler/speculator or an investor. Gamblers believe they can out guess the market and avoid all losses. The gamblers have proven numerous times to be wrong in the long run. One may get ‘lucky’ but no one can consistently market time.

In markets like these, diversification is your buddy.

Proper diversification spreads risk across various asset classes with varying return characteristics or dissimilar price movement. Simply said: they don’t do the same thing at the same time.

Most investors are narrowly diversified into top performing funds or classes of the last five to ten years. They often feel diversified but aren’t.

To be diversified means including classes or types of funds in your portfolio that did poorly over the last five to ten years. If you do this, your portfolio will look and perform very differently from your neighbors’ or friends’.

Those of you which are my clients own portfolios which are professionally diversified and rebalanced much like the large pension funds.

Over time these portfolios will help you successfully accomplish your investment goals.

To succeed in investing you must own equities….globally diversify…..rebalance.