Friday March 29th, 2024 7:46AM

Valuable Guidelines for Disciplined Investing

By M. Shane Gaddy
Knowing that financial markets are constantly changing, it's often hard to gauge when the best time would be to jump in. Trying to time your investments in this way can cause you undue stress and cost you financially when you try to invest by guessing when the market has hit the "top" or the "bottom." Fortunately, however, there are several timeless strategies that can help you eliminate the emotional component, and get you on the right track to successful investing.

Think long term. While past performance is never a guarantee of future results, the markets have historically performed well over the long run. Successful investors are the ones who develop the discipline and patience to stay the course over the long run, despite market fluctuations.

Patiently accept volatility. Building on the last point, it's important to realize that market highs and lows are a natural occurrence, and should be considered a normal part of investing. Once you accept that fact, you can prepare yourself to resist the emotional urges to jump in and out of the market based solely on its current direction.

Stay in the market. Some investors attempt to time the market. When it's down, they sit on the sidelines waiting for it to rally before they get in on the action. Conversely, when the market is up, they wait for a correction so they can buy at what they see as bargain rates. Moving in and out of the market by timing its ups and downs is a skill not even the most seasoned investment professionals have mastered. Consistent investment
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