TAMPA, Fla., March 28, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- At a recent networking event sponsored by Saltmarsh Financial Advisors LLC, a division of Saltmarsh Cleaveland & Gund, Dimensional Fund Advisors Vice President Dr. Apollo Lupescu acknowledged that people have no shortage of sources of investment advice. Therefore, investors should focus on four key elements for success: purpose, balance, efficiency and discipline.
In his presentation, entitled “The Evolution of Investing,” Dr. Lupescu observed: “How you react to changes in the market can have an impact on the success of your investment experience.”
Lupescu urged investors to “shift their thinking to systematic-driven perspective” and let the following four points be your guide:
- Purpose: This is the most important element in any portfolio. “What is it you are trying to accomplish with your money? What are your financial goals? Are they specific and are they realistic? Do you have a plan? Clarifying your purpose and having a financial plan is extremely important.”
- Balance: “In investing, as in life, there are tradeoffs. You have to understand how to balance the tradeoffs. If you don’t balance them properly you can create a situation where you fail to achieve the returns needed to meet your goals or create so much uncertainty that you can’t stick with the plan. The most fundamental tradeoff in investing is safety versus growth.”
- Efficiency: Information about stocks is quickly incorporated into the price, and it is virtually impossible to make gains through stock picking or market timing. “The old school approach of stock picking is like fishing with a rod versus a net. Instead, we believe you can be more efficient and capture the school of fish through diversification,” Lupescu advised.
- Discipline: Investors should be cautious reacting to media reports and predictions on market fluctuations or world events. “The news media is entertainment, not advice, and one of their goals is to sell advertising. All of us are being influenced by the media, and they are either tapping into our fear or greed,” he said. “When daily media reports focus almost exclusively on the negative, it’s hard to maintain perspective. As an investor, your best resource is the academic evidence that supports the power of markets and value of long term investing.”
Media Contact: Andrew Bowen, APR
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