Here's a statement of the obvious: The opinions expressed here are those of the participants, not those of the Mutual Fund Observer. We cannot vouch for the accuracy or appropriateness of any of it, though we do encourage civility and good humor.
Support MFO
Donate through PayPal
The Mutual Fund Merry-Go-Round [plus a few more reads]
John N, that was a terrific piece from NYT by Yale's David Swensen. Harsh words. But another reminder that it is almost impossible to beat index funds long term. Thanks for spotting and sharing.
Thanks for posting The Mutual Fund Merry-Go-Round article. If most folks did not know ... the average investor form my perspective has been buying high and selling out low for years. They seem to buy in during the good times when things are doing well and the markets are towards its peak ... and, they trend to sell out during times of strife when the markets are in decline. This to me classifies them as fair weather investors.
To be successful, one should do the opposite by buying during strife and selling at the pinnacle. Are financial advisors to blame? From my perspective, perhaps not. It is more of an issue about the human nature of the fair weather investor.
My father, years ago, would buy a good quality stock at it's 52 week low and then sell it when it reached a 52 week high. My mother on the other hand could not understand this. Her thoughts were why sell something when it is doing so good? Go figure.
Comments
Thanks for posting The Mutual Fund Merry-Go-Round article. If most folks did not know ... the average investor form my perspective has been buying high and selling out low for years. They seem to buy in during the good times when things are doing well and the markets are towards its peak ... and, they trend to sell out during times of strife when the markets are in decline. This to me classifies them as fair weather investors.
To be successful, one should do the opposite by buying during strife and selling at the pinnacle. Are financial advisors to blame? From my perspective, perhaps not. It is more of an issue about the human nature of the fair weather investor.
My father, years ago, would buy a good quality stock at it's 52 week low and then sell it when it reached a 52 week high. My mother on the other hand could not understand this. Her thoughts were why sell something when it is doing so good? Go figure.
Thanks again for posting this article.
Good Investing,
Skeeter