There is long-standing investor wisdom that has proven over and over again that: “what goes down must come back up”
Our goal is to manage your money through all market contingencies. That means both 1) the growth periods of the market, and 2) potential downswings due to global scares, such as the Russian/Ukraine war, inflation and increasing interest rates.
Market Psychology and Fear-Based Reaction
Stock markets move, in reality, according to the mass psychology of the people. When most people optimistically believe in a healthy economy, they invest and stay invested. This belief has funded the tremendous advance of our current economy as people continue to invest more of their savings in business ventures using equity investments.
The Danger of Following the Crowd
When many are fearful The risk of following the crowd is that they can run fearfully out of the market precisely at the wrong moment — increasing their extreme risk of loss. The collective feelings of the masses move market trends up or down.
History has proven that many have lost much of their savings not by staying in the market but by exiting their investment holdings reacting to fear-based news. And many wise investors eventually see their investments return to normal with often better gains in the future.
Your plan was carefully constructed to reflect your objectives and investment time horizon. Market declines may also represent an opportunity to buy quality companies at attractive prices. Warren Buffet, the famous billionaire investor, said:
“It is unwise to be fearful when…others are fearful.”
When many are greedy When greed sets in during a bull market, investors without the guidance of an advisor can invest based on group hearsay or speculation, also by influences on social media.
Emboldened by big returns, retail investors have turned to riskier tools that use leverage to try to magnify their gains, and, in the process, their influence over stock markets. Call options, for example, involve placing a bet on a stock rising above a specific price within a particular time period. If that bet pays off, the gain can be upward of 10 times greater than simply investing in the underlying stock, depending on the terms of the option contract. If the stock stays below that price, the investor loses the entire amount. 1
The markets witnessed an amazing recovery since the pandemic fears affected the market in March 2020, rising significantly into 2022.
Stay the course. Over the long term, corrections are expected in the investment cycle. Investors who stay invested, instead of allowing fear to cause them to try to time the markets, generally see future increases. The following graph shows financial planning design and values based on investing for your future financial security.
1, Globe and Mail