The Surprising Reason Why Staying Invested Beats Market Timing: A Must-Read for Investors

Derek Johnson
2 min readJan 9, 2023
Photo by Maxim Hopman on Unsplash

If you’re an investor feeling like me after 2022, you might ask yourself if investing in the stock market is just a big scam. Hopefully, I can help convince you to keep your money in the market for as long as possible rather than try to time the market.

It’s a question that has plagued investors for ages: is it better to try and time the market or stay invested for the long haul? While there are certainly those who have had success with market timing strategies, the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that time in the market is far more important than timing the market.

One of the critical reasons for this is that trying to time the market is challenging. Even the most seasoned investors can struggle to predict market movements consistently, and the reality is that most people don’t have the resources or expertise to do so effectively. As a result, attempts at market timing often result in missed opportunities, as investors inevitably buy high and sell low.

On the other hand, those who take a long-term investment approach are more likely to see significant returns on their investments. That is because the stock market has a long growth history, with returns averaging around 7% per year. Investors can take advantage of this natural growth and…

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Derek Johnson

Philosopher | AI Engineering | Formally @ Apple & Amazon