Written by R. A. Stewart
In life people get involved in what are considered to be dangerous activities. Being a jockey or a racing car driver are such activities but there are protocols in place to mitigate the risks. If a horse slips after a race the jockeys will examine the track in order to ascertain whether it is safe enough to proceed with the race meeting. If they are not satisfied, the meeting is abandoned.
It is called “risk management.”
Investing is similar. Investors will weigh up the pros or cons of a certain investment or their fund manager will do this for them and will then make a decision on whether the company is worth investing in.
Investors need to know the difference between a permanent and a temporary loss.
You can have two investors which have shares in the same company, but they react differently to what is happening in the market. One investor panics after the company’s share price drops so has suffered a permanent loss, the other investor holds on to his shares and when the company’s share price rebounds he has recouped his losses. The second investor suffered a temporary loss.
If you have invested according to your risk-profile then what the market is doing should not be a concern to you.
It is important to keep your emotions in check, otherwise they can end up costing you in the long-term.
When investing you want the right amount of risk and that all depends on when you need the money. You can be more aggressive with your retirement savings if you have at least 10 years to go but if the money is needed within 5 years then you need to be a little more cautious because what you do not need is for the markets to drop just when you need the money.
Time can work for and against you in terms of what you do with your money. If you are young then you have the advantage of time on your side. You can be more aggressive in your choice of where to invest your money because you have more time to recover from financial hits. But you have to be prepared to take calculated risks in order to take advantage of the rising markets.
At the other extreme, being too safe and over cautious is not good because inflation will erode the purchasing power of your savings. Leaving your money in an ordinary savings account may be fine for money you need in the short-term but it is not appropriate for long-term savings.
Investing is a balancing between risk and reward. It is important to stick with your plan despite what the markets are doing because panic selling when the markets are down will turn a temporary loss into a permanent one. This means that those investors who sell their shares during a market downturn will miss out on the gains when the market recovers.
If you want to get involved in any kind of dangerous activity, think about the risk and how it will affect your future lifestyle if it all goes pear-shaped, and most of all how much risk you can tolerate. Never let a temporary loss become a permanent one.
ABOUT THIS ARTICLE
The contents of this article are of the opinion of the writer and may not be applicable to your personal circumstances therefore discretion is advised. You may use this article as content for your blog/website, or ebook. Read my other articles on www.robertastewart.com
