The unrealistic expectations among investors have created harmful notions about investing in reality. They blame the investment asset rather than their speculative move, which allows the investor to think of this as some sort of race to win rather than being realistic about the potential of the investment.
Has it been you or others? They have all been thinking alike, and that’s where the problem lies. Let’s unfold what investing means and what it is not.
What investing is?
In a pretty straightforward sense, the pursuit of gains on securities or an asset that you buy by putting your money into it is called investing.
In depth, you can make money by taking assets at lower prices and selling them at higher prices, known as “capital gains.” Between buying and selling, if an asset gains value, it’s called “appreciation.” If you decide to keep an asset that you bought for the benefit of receiving consistent cash flow, it means “buying and holding.”
For instance, in the bond market, if you want to sell a bond that you bought at a discounted price at a premium in the secondary market, it is your capital gain. If you have a bond with a company that sold you at an interest rate of 10%, but the same is selling bonds at 8% now, the appreciation is greater, as what you own is more desirable in the market.
Finally, if you decide not to sell the bond and hold it for the interest income longer, it speaks about the cash flow from holding.
That’s just one or the other means of investing, which also works in other assets like equity, real estate, etc.
This comes to the point that, from all the actions, your only goal is to generate income to pursue things that you want in your life.
Let’s Get Real About Money
What investing isn’t?
The notion that investing is a competition where you disregard the risk and want to always be profitable is not called investing. We saw the straightforward part of what an investment can offer, but we are also aware that it has associated risks, which we commonly want to seen-zone.
Accepting that investing has risks and can also yield returns is something an investor must imbibe. Without it, making a move for only returns is what puts us in a miserable place. Finding it a problem when the expected returns are not met, anticipating a higher return compared to others who have invested, and thinking that someone must lose to make a win in the market is an utter myth.
The concept of investing doesn’t really work that way!
Listen, think straight; dips are momentary; they can occur, for instance, during recession, inflation, and whatnot. The growth in the market over the long term will ultimately lift all the sinking boats. What you need to ask is, “Does the asset you hold have the potential to grow?”
For instance, it is known that the company’s stock that you hold will grow only if the company is growing. Or the real estate location that you bought will shoot up when the developments in the area take place.
Another big issue that investors fall into is that if they make an error, they don’t really want to accept the situation and re-plan but rather go all aggressive to be riskier enough to make up for what they lost, which in turn swirls into a defeat.
Just to realize that it was a “Bigger mistake,”
The Market Risks Are in the “Seen Zone”
The fallacies that you shouldn’t have
1. Expectations are set high
The returns that you get in the first year need not be the same in the second year, but if investors are in the mindset of anticipating returns, earning the same returns or more every year will not work. Hence, the expectation must be reasonable. That way, you are in a position to stay consistent for longer without disturbing the psychology.
2. The shift of focus from long-term to short-term
If that one short-term investment made a crazy profit, then think again; it was momentary. It was good that you could capture it, but is the scenario the same all the time?
Long-term investing can help you stay unaltered despite market corrections, but short-term investing can’t. The flip side is true, too. Let’s say you exited at a profit, thinking it was too much for the short term; it might even go higher if it were for the long term. Which means you are taking a hit by keeping it short-term.
3. Ignoring diversification entirely
Investors don’t realize until they lose it all for one stock they highly believe will do better. It is normal to have a backup plan if things don’t go as expected. Another investment plan can always save you, right?
4. Taking a leap on buying high and ending up selling low
If you are a short-term investor, buying it low and selling it high works out, but if you are a long-term investor, if you buy it at a high, you should be holding it to go higher rather than selling it at a low. But most investors, being psychologically impacted, sell it at lower levels; for a long-term investor, the dips shouldn’t really matter.
It’s an unnecessary hit to take on your portfolio by panicking. And if you are a short-term investor, never make the mistake of buying it at higher levels.
5. Thinking of paying tax way more to begin an investment?
If you are not investing in the right instrument just because you are looking for an investment that saves taxes, then you are missing out on opportunities. If that’s a concern, make both types of investments in your portfolio, such as one that saves tax and gives better returns.
6. Being unaware of your investment performance
If you are investing for a goal, then it becomes your duty to check your investment performance status to see if it is aiding in meeting your goals or if it needs rebalancing. Otherwise, what’s the point of investing, don’t you think?
7. Not thinking of the inflation
When you invest, it should beat inflation; if your goal doesn’t align with this in mind, then the performance of your portfolio doesn’t really concern you. The performance must not just be assessed with respect to how much you expect, but they should also consider the inflation rate predominantly.
8. Picking the wrong advisor
If you rely on a financial advisor to make the decisions, then at least ensure you find the best one. It’s not just about diving in right away to invest, but also about how much you know about where you are investing and whether the advisor is helping you correctly. So you must take your time to find the right one.
The Wrap
Your investment is on track if it consistently meets your long-term financial goals. Stay focused on your investment plan, patiently accumulate wealth over time, and leverage market opportunities wisely for sustained success.
It’s not being the riskier one but a sustainable one who knows their risk appetite better and understands the importance of diversification, as neither you nor your advisor knows how the market may behave.
What’s the point, after all? It comes down to removing the noise to arrive at realistic expectations.
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