Investors trying to achieve their investment goals, should consider a long-term investment strategy to help give their portfolio the opportunity to grow and compound over time. Below are four tips when thinking about long-term investing.
1. Know your goal, risk tolerance and time horizon
Investment goals are different for everyone, from building wealth for retirement, funding education or buying a dream home. Knowing your investment goals will help an investor determine how much time is needed and how much risk is required to build wealth. These three important factors are fundamental in a long-term investment strategy.
Risk tolerance is the amount of risk that an investor is willing to accept in order to achieve their investment goals. Below is an example of three risk tolerance profiles and how they could impact investment decision making.
Conservative: Willing to sacrifice/forego the potential for higher long term returns in order to protect capital
Moderate: Prepared to accept a moderate level of risk to achieve long term returns
Aggressive: Willing to tolerate risk and volatility to maximise investment returns
Generally, if an investor has a longer time horizon to accumulate wealth they can tolerate more risk, compared to an investor nearing or in retirement. Investors will have different time horizons based on their individual investment goals.
2. Diversify your investments
Investment markets are unpredictable and can be volatile. Spreading investments across a range of asset classes, geographic regions and industry sectors, means the potential negative impact of a single asset’s decline is mitigated by the performance of
other assets. Including uncorrelated assets in a portfolio, could mean you are less likely to suffer a big loss across your portfolio over the long term.
3. Stay the course
When markets take a downward trend, emotions can take over and it can be hard for investors to watch the ups and downs in their investment portfolio. Some investors, due to fear of asset value falling further, consider straying off the path of a chosen strategy and sell assets to cushion market volatility. However, making quick emotional decisions in investing can be risky and could potentially have negative impacts on a portfolio. Long-term investing requires investors to stay the course of an investment strategy even during turbulent markets.
It can also be tempting to time the markets. Trying to pick tomorrow’s winners against yesterday’s winners may seem simple but there is clear evidence that timing the market is difficult. For example, the buy low, sell high strategy relies on knowing when a share will go up or down, this is extremely complex to do consistently. Long-term investing requires staying invested and not dipping in and out of the market to chase tomorrows winners.
As shown in the chart below, If an investor sells out of the market too early or is too late buying back in the market, they may miss future growth. Missing just a few of the best days in the market can have a negative impact on the value of an investment.
Source Legg Mason
4. Let the experts do the work
Investing can be hard, and it requires time and in-depth knowledge of investing and the markets. Investing in a managed fund can give investors access to an actively managed portfolio, where the investment expert, like a fund manager will be responsible for ensuring the investment strategy is implemented, diversified and stays on track.
It’s important to regularly review an investment strategy, even when committed to a long-term plan. Rebalancing a portfolio periodically and adjusting the weighting of stocks to ensure the original goal of the investment, is key to staying on track.
At Magellan, we believe that successful investing is about finding, and owning for the long term, companies that can generate excess returns on capital for years to come. We scour the world for the best companies that we believe have a sustainable competitive advantage that will compound returns for our investors over the long term.
Important Information: This material has been delivered to you by Magellan Asset Management Limited ABN 31 120 593 946 AFS Licence No. 304 301 (‘Magellan’) and has been prepared for general information purposes only and must not be construed as investment advice or as an investment recommendation. This material does not take into account your investment objectives, financial situation or particular needs. This material does not constitute an offer or inducement to engage in an investment activity nor does it form part of any offer documentation, offer or invitation to purchase, sell or subscribe for interests in any type of investment product or service. You should obtain and consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement (‘PDS’) and Target Market Determination (‘TMD’) and consider obtaining professional investment advice tailored to your specific circumstances before making a decision about whether to acquire, or continue to hold, the relevant financial product. A copy of the relevant PDS and TMD relating to a Magellan financial product may be obtained by calling +61 2 9235 4888 or by visiting www.magellangroup.com.au.
Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results and no person guarantees the future performance of any financial product or service, the amount or timing of any return from it, that asset allocations will be met, that it will be able to implement its investment strategy or that its investment objectives will be achieved. This material may contain ‘forward-looking statements’. Actual events or results or the actual performance of a Magellan financial product or service may differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such forward-looking statements.
This material may include data, research and other information from third party sources. Magellan makes no guarantee that such information is accurate, complete or timely and does not provide any warranties regarding results obtained from its use. This information is subject to change at any time and no person has any responsibility to update any of the information provided in this material. Statements contained in this material that are not historical facts are based on current expectations, estimates, projections, opinions and beliefs of Magellan. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, and undue reliance should not be placed thereon. No representation or warranty is made with respect to the accuracy or completeness of any of the information contained in this material. Magellan will not be responsible or liable for any losses arising from your use or reliance upon any part of the information contained in this material.
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