I hear it everywhere I go. I'll start investing again...
...when the debt problem is fixed.
...when the markets pull back a little.
...when the EU crisis is over.
...when the elections are over.
Chances are you've said some of these same things to yourself.
Yet, waiting is exactly the wrong thing to do. Time is something you never get back.
And when it comes to consistent investment returns, time is the one thing you always have to capitalize on - without fail.
Besides, waiting makes it harder to get back in the game. Ask anybody who missed the S&P 500's 99.53% run up off March 2009 lows that carried things until April 2011.
Or the 87.26% run up through July 2007 following the low set in 2003. Or the 569.25% move from November 1987 (shortly after Black Monday) through January 2000.
No. The way I see it, the thing to do is to begin investing the moment you decide you want to. That way you pique your imagination, your motivation and your returns.
Here are five tips to help you get started:
So what about the risks?
That's a fair question and an important one, especially now when there are so many fundamental problems to consider - Europe, China, our debt, the lack of adult supervision amongst the world's central bankers, and more.
That's what trailing stops are for.
If the fire gets too hot, trailing stops will get you out of the kitchen. The important part is to get back to cooking when things cool down.
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