Why patience pays & how staying invested beats market timing every time

Why patience is one of the most powerful investing tools you have

We all set financial goals. We plan for the future, work hard, and try to make smart choices. But sometimes, when it comes to investing, the smartest choice is to do absolutely nothing.

Yes, nothing. That may sound strange, but in turbulent markets and currency fluctuations, staying calm and staying put is without doubt the best course of action.

Let’s talk about why our emotions can sometimes get in the way of smart investing, and how a little patience can go a long way toward helping you reach your financial goals.

“Far more money has been lost by investors trying to anticipate corrections, than lost in the corrections themselves.” – Peter Lynch

Why we’re wired to react and why that can hurt your investments

Our brains are designed to keep us safe. Thousands of years ago, that meant reacting quickly to physical threats. Today, that same fight-or-flight instinct kicks in when we feel our money is at risk like during a market drop.

Your heart races. You feel like you need to do something. But acting on emotion, like panic-selling your investments can hurt your long-term returns.

Jason Zweig, a respected financial journalist and author of Your Money and Your Brain, says the three most important traits an investor can have are: independence, skepticism, and emotional self-control.

Emotional self-control means staying steady, even when markets feel shaky. And that takes practice.

Market drops happen but so does recovery

“Though tempting, trying to time the market is a loser’s game. $10,000 continuously invested in the market over the past 20 years grew to $63,636. If you missed just the best 30 days, your investment was reduced to $11,484.1” – Christopher Davis

Here’s something to remember: markets always go up and down. Volatility is normal. In fact, there’s never been a year without some level of market uncertainty.

Trying to predict every rise and fall? That’s exhausting and it usually doesn’t work. What does work is staying invested through the ups and downs.

Warren Buffett — one of the world’s most successful investors — famously said: “Investing is simple, but not easy.” What he means is, the idea of staying in the market long-term is simple to understand. But emotionally, it’s hard when prices are falling.

Benjamin Graham, Buffett’s mentor, put it like this: “In the end, how your investments behave is much less important than how you behave.”

Your mindset matters more than market movements.

The Power of Patience

Patience is one of the most underrated investing skills.

If you can resist the urge to constantly check your portfolio, or to make big changes when the market dips, you’ll likely come out ahead. Why? Because of something called compounding where your investments grow, and then those gains also grow over time.

It’s a slow build, but the rewards are big if you let time do its thing.

So, What Can You Do (or Not Do)?

Here are a few simple but powerful habits to help you stay patient and on track

Stick to your plan. A good investment plan is built for the long haul. Trust it and the people helping you manage it.

Expect ups and downs. Markets are always moving. Accepting this can help you stay calm.

Focus on time in the market, not timing the market. You don’t need to pick the perfect moment you just need to stay in.

Know the difference between fear and facts. If markets drop on emotion (fear), don’t act on impulse. But if something fundamental has changed (like your income or life situation), that’s worth reviewing.

And remember this quote from Ethan Hawke’s Rules for a Knight – “There is a moment for action, and with a clear mind that moment is obvious.”

Sometimes, the best action is no action at all.

“The stock market is a device to transfer money from the impatient to the patient.” – Warren Buffett

Impatient investors tend to make poor decisions. Buying or selling at the wrong time, checking their accounts too often, reacting to headlines instead of facts.

But patient investors? They keep going. They focus on the long-term. And they’re the ones most likely to see real results.

So if the markets feel scary right now, take a breath. Step back. Talk to your financial advisor if you need reassurance. Then simply stay the course.

You don’t need to react to every market move. You just need to stay invested and stay patient.

Image by Gerd Altmann