How Do You Invest at All-Time Market Highs? 2020 Outlook, Ep #103

How do you best invest at all-time market highs? In this episode, we are walking through the strategies and disciplines you'll need to be a successful long-term investor. 

Short Youtube recap here: https://youtu.be/fEXnQ8GaCuk

Visit full article notes here: https://wp.me/p6NrVS-3i0

Short-term market forecasting is impossible to predict

We often get the question of whether people should continue to invest given the all-time market highs. Well, let’s take a look back to just a year ago. At the end of 2018, the U.S. stock market declined by 20% and everyone was worried about a potential bear market. But it turned out that 2019 was a fantastic year despite all the worries.

We can’t tell you when will be a good time to invest in the short-term. No one can. No one has a crystal ball that can predict those outcomes. It is important to formulate a decision-making process that is not outcome-based. Financial decisions should always be processed based instead. 

What does the long-term history of investing tell us?

Think about where you were in December 2009. You probably weren’t too optimistic about the economic future. But it turned out the S&P 500 was the best place to invest over the past 10 years. But in the 10 years preceding it was the worst place to invest. 

There is never an easy time to be an investor. Investing always involves risk and many see that risk as a reason not to invest. There is always a risk and plenty of reasons not to invest. But when you look back, you’ll realize recessions, while painful, happen quickly but the market rises over the long run.

A diversified portfolio will always include something you don’t like

After the S&P’s strong run the past 10 years many people wonder why bother to invest internationally or why they should hold any bonds in their portfolio. Even though the S&P 500 performed quite well over the past 10 years, it was the worst place to invest during the previous 10 years. To protect yourself, you’ll need to be diversified. Bonds can not only provide diversification but they can provide income and capital preservation as well. They may not be the most exciting, but bonds will ensure you don’t have all of your eggs in one basket. 

So what is the 2020 market outlook?

Once again we find ourselves in a time of uncertainty. There’s the threat of war, a presidential election, and who knows what else could happen next. Given this time of uncertainty, what changes should we be making to our portfolios? The only sure answer is that you should only be taking as much risk as you can handle. Don’t let recent market performance lull you into taking too much risk.

Listen in to hear the outlook for 2020 and beyond. 

Outline of This Episode

• [2:27] Short-term market forecasting is impossible to predict
• [5:35] Let’s look at how the markets have performed in the long-term
• [10:52] Take a look at bonds
• [15:10] What has happened with consumer confidence?
• [17:35] Why hold foreign stocks?
• [20:15] What changes should we be making to our portfolios given the current climate?
• [23:54] What do the experts predict to happen over the next 10 years?

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