Well, Well, Well Again
In my June 28th post, I discussed how the U.S. stock market had just hit a new 155-year all-time high. More importantly, I reiterated that an all-time high isn't something to be scared of. In the post, I detailed how frequently our stock market hits new all-time highs, and why that's just a regular feature of long-term investing.
Without fail, I received nearly a dozen messages pushing back against my message. One person told me I'm "stupid." Another told me I'm "naive." A third told me I'm "uneducated." That was a fun day to open my inbox!
Lots of people (who claim to be wise investors) get on their soapboxes and tout the strategy of "buy the dip." In other words, try to time the market by investing after it crashes. That would be an amazing strategy if we had a magic 8-ball or DeLorean. The problem with timing the market is that we must be right twice: first, when to buy, and second, when to sell. Besides, that's a stressful and time-consuming endeavor. In the entire investment world, there are only a few dozen people who can be successful at this for an extended period of time, and they aren't your brother's co-worker's neighbor. It's not your financial advisor, either!
Since I wrote that post on June 28th, the U.S. stock market has achieved another 12 all-time highs: One in June, 10 in July, and one in August (yesterday!).
Once in a while, my friend Brett will respond to a post with a simple question: "Where's the meaning in this post?" While today's post isn't jam-packed with meaning, I do have one very strong, meaning-filled encouragement. Please don't spend your time, energy, stress, or anxiety worrying about your investments. Simply invest in the U.S. stock market via low-cost index funds, be patient, and stop thinking about it. You have so many more important things to think about in your life than the fate of your investments. Their fate is awesome......long-term. Instead, invest your time and energy in your family, your work, your relationships, and your ministry. The ROI of those things is far greater than money will ever provide!
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