You Know More about Investing than You Think

Principles that can help you in life and in investing

We’ve all navigated uncertainty, weighed risks and rewards, and made carefully considered decisions. As humans, we are compelled to tackle life’s central challenges, which also happen to be the central challenges of investing.

At Dimensional, we believe having a good investment experience is about more than returns. What matters just as much is how someone feels along the way. Investing better means living better. Not just because it leads to having more money, but because many of the habits that serve us well as investors serve us well in life, too. Here are six principles that can help you in life and in investing.

Uncertainty Creates Opportunity

“The best antidote to uncertainty is educated optimism.”

David Booth

Uncertainty can be uncomfortable, but we often forget that, without it, there would be no opportunity. When we decide to move to a new city or change career paths, we don’t know exactly what will happen. There’s always a risk that things won’t work out the way we had hoped, yet these experiences help us grow and can change our lives in amazing ways.


When you invest, expected returns are compensation for taking on uncertainty. Without risk, there would be no reward. But there’s also risk in choosing not to invest, because if your money doesn’t grow over time, it won’t go as far in the future. Cash hidden under a mattress can’t keep up with inflation.


As investors, it’s easy to get caught up in worrying when markets drop. But when we realize that investing means getting paid for accepting risk, we can start to see uncertainty as a source of opportunity, even during times of market volatility.


GAINS HAVE FAR OUTPACED LOSSES IN US STOCKS

S&P 500 index total returns, 1926–2023

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Indices are not available for direct investment. Their performance does not reflect the expenses associated with the management of an actual portfolio.
In USD. Chart end date is December 31, 2023; the last trough-to-end-of-period return of 36% represents the return through December 2023. Due to availability of data, monthly returns are used from January 1926 through December 1989; daily returns are used from January 1990 through present. Periods in which the cumulative return from peak is –20% or lower, and a recovery of 20% from trough has not yet occurred, are considered bear markets. Bull markets are subsequent rises following the bear market trough through the next recovery of at least 20%. The chart shows bear markets and bull markets, the number of months they lasted, and the associated cumulative performance for each market period. Results for different time periods could differ from the results shown. A logarithmic scale is a nonlinear scale in which the numbers shown are a set distance along the axis and the increments are a power, or logarithm, of a base number. This allows data over a wide range of values to be displayed in a condensed way. S&P data © 2024 S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, a division of S&P Global. All rights reserved.

Embracing uncertainty rather than trying to avoid it can help us live better. This approach to life and investing guides us through uncertain times and helps refocus our attention on the opportunities ahead.

Plan, Don’t Predict

“Plan for what can happen, rather than trying to predict what will happen.”

David Booth

We’ve all tried to predict what will happen in life, only to be disappointed when it didn’t turn out the way we anticipated. But human beings develop strategies to deal with the fact that none of us has a crystal ball. We apply to a list of potential colleges, not just our first choice. We interview a series of job candidates even when there’s a clear front-runner. We wear a life jacket on a boat even though we know how to swim.


Investing is just like life: For maximum peace of mind, we make plans that account for a broad range of possible outcomes. This way, you can feel empowered by the unknown instead of paralyzed by it.


Research has shown that stock pickers consistently underperform their benchmarks.1 But you don’t need to be able to predict winners to have a good investment experience. Over the past century, markets have returned, on average, about 10% a year.


The Bumpy Road to the market’s long-term average

Annual returns for S&P 500 index, 1926–2023

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Indices are not available for direct investment. Their performance does not reflect the expenses associated with the management of an actual portfolio.

In USD. Long-term average is the average annualized return of the S&P 500 index, 1926–2023. S&P data © 2024 S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC, a division of S&P Global. All rights reserved.


So don’t try to outguess markets—go with them, even when that means tolerating and being prepared to live through some short-term disappointments. Odds are you’ll have a better investment experience in the long run.

Flexibility Adds Value

“Flexibility adds value because it leaves space for judgment.”

David Booth

When you’re in the market for a new car, you probably know exactly what you want, down to the color of the interior trim. But it can be hard to locate the precise model and features you’re after, unless you’re willing to pay a premium for them. Being flexible—maybe going with black instead of gray or sacrificing a sunroof—might mean you can get that new car faster, and at a better price. Life rewards flexibility over rigidity.


Flexibility adds value in investing too. Staying flexible around what stocks to hold and when to trade can give you an advantage. While index funds are a solid, low-cost solution for many investors, they are forced to trade on certain days to track their index. The funds may not get the best prices on the securities they hold, resulting in investors leaving returns on the table.

In life, as in investing, sound decisions are often grounded in research and implemented with flexibility.

Harness the Power of Compounding

“Your life is the result of the cumulative effects of the decisions you make every day.”

David Booth

Even the small, seemingly inconsequential decisions we make every day can have a big impact over time. Whether we’re trying to run a faster mile or master a foreign language, the best way to stay motivated is to keep reminding ourselves of the rewards that come from patience and commitment. Just a little bit of time every day can add up to a lot of progress.


The same is true of investing. A 10% return on your investment each year—similar to the stock market’s historical annualized average—would double your money every seven years. Having a lot of time can help an investor make up for not having a lot of money.


Let markets work for you

Growth of $1,000, MSCI All Country World Index, 1988–2023

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Indices are not available for direct investment. Their performance does not reflect the expenses associated with the management of an actual portfolio.

In USD. Data presented in the Growth of $1,000 chart is hypothetical and assumes reinvestment of income and no transaction costs or taxes. The chart is for illustrative purposes only and is not indicative of any investment. MSCI data © 2024, all rights reserved.


In both life and investing, compounding is a powerful force. You might say that the life equivalent of compound interest is wisdom. Learning from the past can help us make better decisions in the future, and those lessons build on one another over time.

Control What You Can Control

“While you can’t control the world around you, you can control how much risk you take.”

David Booth

So much in life—good and bad—is out of our control. Sudden storms can pummel us in the middle of summertime. A sports team that seemed destined for a disappointing season can come out of nowhere to win a championship. While we can’t control everything that happens, we can take charge of how we prepare for and react to life’s curveballs.


As human beings and investors, all we can do is try to make the best decisions possible with the information we have available, plan for a range of outcomes, and relax knowing we’ve taken a sensible approach.


In investing, you can’t control the ups and downs of the market. What you can control is how much you save, the risk you take on, and the guidance you seek in putting together an investment plan that’s right for you.


Consider risk and return when allocating assets

For illustrative purposes only. The risk and expected return shown in this illustration are not reliable indicators of actual risk profiles. There is no guarantee strategies will be successful.

The future is uncertain, but the quality of your decisions doesn’t have to be. When you make informed choices, you have the satisfaction of knowing you did everything within your control, even if things didn’t work out exactly the way you’d hoped.

Tune Out the Noise

“When it comes to investing, a lot of things are interesting without being meaningful.”

David Booth

When you focus on an important goal, other people’s opinions can be distracting, even derailing. Who cares if a friend doesn’t agree with your new exercise plan, as long as it’s working for you? Once you’ve done the research and come up with a road map for success, rally your supporters and turn down the volume on your detractors.


This mindset is also key to being a successful long-term investor. Many of us are exposed to a barrage of investment commentary—for example, TV pundits handing out stock tips and friends touting the “next big investment.” As tempting as the ideas may sound, they’re potentially harmful distractions. Things that seem too good to be true usually are—and yielding to your “fear of missing out” can exact a deep price in the form of lower returns over a lifetime.


We all know that markets rise and fall—so we can be disappointed by downturns, but we shouldn’t be surprised by them. Reacting emotionally, like selling when markets fall, may be more detrimental to your portfolio performance than the drawdown itself.


Missing the best consecutive days

Russell 3000 Index total return, 1999–2023

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Indices are not available for direct investment. Their performance does not reflect the expenses associated with the management of an actual portfolio.

In USD. For illustrative purposes. Best performance dates represent end of period (November 28, 2008, for best week; April 22, 2020, for best month; June 22, 2020, for best three months; and September 4, 2009, for best six months). The missed best consecutive days examples assume that the hypothetical portfolio fully divested its holdings at the end of the day before the missed best consecutive days, held cash for the missed best consecutive days, and reinvested the entire portfolio in the Russell 3000 Index at the end of the missed best consecutive days. Data presented in the growth of $1,000 exhibit is hypothetical and assumes reinvestment of income and no transaction costs or taxes. The data is for illustrative purposes only and is not indicative of any investment. Frank Russell Company is the source and owner of the trademarks, service marks, and copyrights related to the Russell Indexes.


How do you tune out the noise? Working with a financial advisor, like working with a trainer or coach, can help you see past the headlines to cultivate discipline and the sense of security that comes from knowing you have a well-thought-out plan.

Disclosures:


Risks include loss of principal and fluctuating value. Investment value will fluctuate, and shares, when redeemed, may be worth more or less than original cost. Diversification does not eliminate the risk of market loss.


Footnote:


1Eugene F. Fama and Kenneth R. French, “Luck versus Skill in the Cross-Section of Mutual Fund Returns,” Journal of Finance 65, no. 5 (2010): 1915–1947. Eugene Fama and Ken French are members of the Board of Directors of the general partner of, and provide consulting services to, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP.