Staying Invested

One way to deal with volatility is to avoid it altogether. This means staying invested and not paying attention to the short-term fluctuations. Sometimes this can be harder than it sounds - watching your portfolio take a 50% hit in a bear market is more than many can take.

One common misconception about a buy-and-hold strategy is that holding a stock for 20 years is what will make you money. Long-term investing still requires homework because markets are driven by corporate fundamentals. If you find a company with a strong balance sheet and consistent earnings, the short-term fluctuations won't affect the long-term value of the company. In fact, periods of volatility could be a great time to buy if you believe a company is good for the long-term. (To learn more, see Intro To Fundamental Analysis, Reading The Balance Sheet and Advanced Financial Statement Analysis.)

The main argument behind the buy-and-hold strategy is that missing the best few days of the year will cut your return significantly. It varies depending on where you get your data, but the stat will usually sound something like this: "missing the 20 best days could cut your return by more than half." For the most part this is true but, on the other hand, missing the worst 20 days will also increase your portfolio considerably and in some cases, you may want to make trades during volatile market conditions.