‘The stock market is designed to transfer money from the active to the patient.’
This quote aptly summarises the advantage of long-term investors.
As long as you invest in fundamentally strong stocks and hold on for the long term, you will do very well. But to invest successfully for the long term, you must be a long-term investor. You must have the right mindset.
You will ned to devote a lot of time and effort to research those fundamentally strong stocks that you can buy and hold for the long term.
You should also be mentally prepared for huge declines in your portfolio. These could be to the tune of 30-40%. It’s part and parcel of investing for the long term.
In fact, as long as you are convinced of a stock’s fundamentals, you should consider investing more money in the same stocks. When the market turns up, these stocks will be among the first to recover.
A word of caution: Just because you’re investing in a stock for the long term, doesn’t mean you can buy and forget it. Constantly re-evaluate you portfolio. Some stocks may not deserve a place in it anymore.
And finally, don’t forget the concept of margin of safety. Even if you are willing to wait a few years to see big gains, you shouldn’t buy stocks at any price. Always insist on a margin of safety in valuations in long-term investing.
We suggest reading this Equitymaster editorial - 10 Rules for Successful Long-Term Investing.
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