Over the past few years, the financial markets have been quite unstable with crisis situations arising one after another. For this reason, it’s essential for investors to build their money management skills to protect their hard-earned cash from any financial crisis. Whether you are a new investor or a seasonal one, there’s always room to grow your investing skills. The following tips will help you take a step towards becoming an expert investor.
Control your Emotions
The greatest threat to becoming an expert investor is actually you. The stock market is extremely unpredictable, regardless, don’t let talking heads on financial television rattle your emotions and cause you to lose your nerves and end up selling your investments at the worst possible time. Also, avoid making irrational decisions based on stock price movements. When the stock market drops avoid selling stocks that have already seen a drop in market prices, instead find some good companies selling at bargain prices.
Emulate your Local Competition
Most investors often copy the tips and techniques used by successful investors. While this may be a great way to start learning, becoming an expert investor primarily depends on your understanding of the local market. Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what works somewhere else, rather, what works where you invest. Therefore, the most important thing you can do is study what works for successful investors in your area. Start by gathering investment data using the MLS (Multiple Listing Service). Then, slowly build your own puzzle using pieces of information from each investor.
Review and Build your Portfolio
Now that you’ve bought your investments, you can’t afford to just sit back and relax. You need to regularly review your portfolio, probably every 6-12 months, to see how your funds are doing. For a better picture, compare them to other funds in their peer group. This allows you to ensure your asset allocation still matches your risk profile, and even build your portfolio. There are several ways to build your portfolio, which includes buying more of your current investments or looking at different investment types, including investment trusts, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), buying shares, and much more.
Get off your Comfort Zone
Companies you know may be easy investments but aren’t always the best. Investing in stocks that few people know of can often earn you better returns. The first place to look for unknown stocks is with small or up-and-coming companies. You can find potential winners using the OATS framework.
Invest for the Long Term
Constantly jumping in and out of the stock market is the quickest way to damage your financial future. It increases losses from commissions, the bid/ask spread, fees, and even taxes. Your greatest virtues should be patience and having a long-term investment horizon. This offers a better chance for higher returns, plus it keeps the costs low. It pays to let a sound investment compound over the years.
Find a Financial Adviser
You may be new to investing or are still figuring out how to become an expert investor or simply don’t have the time. Thanks to modern technology you don’t have to be an expert to make money. You can now use a robo advisor to help you manage your investments through a general investment account. Other than managing your investments online, a robo advisor also provides financial advice.
