Take the long view

Article Excerpt

Here’s an excerpt from a recent issue of Advice for Inner Circle Members: “The timing of downturns is largely random. There’s no dependable way of spotting them before they hit, so you have to rely on guesswork. If you sell and the market rises, it hurts your long-term return and your confidence. If you happen to sell at a good time and you sidestep a downturn, it feels great. But you still need to figure out when to get back in the market. In either case, you may wind up getting back in at higher prices than you got when you sold. We usually have an opinion on the market outlook. But as you know, we downplay predictions, ours included, due to the random factor. Instead, we look for opportunity and diversification, and we focus on the long term. It’s crucial to keep this in mind if volatility rises in the next few weeks. Next year’s market may turn out to be much calmer…