Fortunately my portfolio management methods don’t revolve around frequent trading. One of my kids came up to me recently and said, “What did you do today, Dad?” I said, “I made one trade, and I did a bunch of research.” He then asked, “How often do you trade?” I answered, “That was my first trade in a week, and I haven’t traded much in the last two months, but that’s not normal. There is no normal for me. When the market is really volatile, I trade a lot more, selling when stocks are rising, and buying when they are selling off. When the market is relatively placid, I don’t do much.” He looked at me, kind of smiled, and moved on. Information overload from Dad.
Most people and investment managers trade too often. They sell their winners too rapidly, and panic too soon on their losers. Now, I’m not advocating “buy and forget,” or Buffett’s statement, “Our favorite holding period is forever.”
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