MFOHome About Commentary Discussions Funds The Best Resources Support Us!

Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!

Sign In Register

Categories

In this Discussion

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

Jonathan Clements: Looking Bad

TedTed
in Fund Discussions
FYI: AS I THINK BACK over the past three decades, I have one overriding investment regret.

No, it has nothing to do with the investments I bought. For much of the past 30 years, I’ve owned a globally diversified portfolio, with 100% in stocks when I was younger and closer to 70% now that I’m in my mid-50s. Initially, I owned actively managed funds and a few individual stocks, but I substituted index funds as they became available, so my stock performance has been what you would expect—very similar to the broad market.
Regards,
Ted
http://www.humbledollar.com/2017/07/looking-bad/

Comments

  • larryB
    Dude is soooo right! And I will still be checking it out first thing Monday morning. My other two hobbies put me out of data reception and the funny thing is that when I go all day without checking on the portfolio, it's still there. And it did whatever whether I looked at it or not. I should learn something from that but I don't.
  • hank
    edited July 2017
    Not to knock Clements. I'm sure he writes from the heart. His 3 indictments of market watching:

    Promotes hasty decision making and excessive trading.
    It shouldn't if you have a long range clearly defined plan (as one of the comments in the link points out). Heck, this argument that viewing something causes irrational behavior is often used to indict (and try to censor) films, video games, a lot of TV drama and the shopping networks. Point is that impulsive people act impulsively.

    It's mindless entertainment
    Has anyone watched CNN lately? And couldn't you say the same re sports viewing, films, gaming, etc?

    Creates the illusion of control over the markets
    These people got a real problem! Get burned in the markets a few times and you quickly learn you have no control over them. I can't imagine watching Bloomberg or reading the WSJ would promote this illusion of control.

    Fact is that knowledge = power. I've never felt that any learning was useless. But if folks would prefer to turn off the electronic medium and shun financial publications, that's their right I suppose. If market watching is keeping you from engaging in other activities, that's a different issue. But Clements doesn't appear to lament that he wasn't doing other, presumably more worthwhile, things during the time he watched markets.
Sign In or Register to comment.