An important objective of any financial plan is to build wealth to guarantee financial security over the long term. While it might be tempting to chase quick gains, when it comes to saving and investing it’s better to be a tortoise, than a hare.
The tortoise and the hare
In the classic fable of the Tortoise and the Hare, the overconfident Hare mocks the slow but steady Tortoise. They end up in a race, and the Hare, sure of his victory, takes a nap midway through. The Tortoise, never stopping, continues his slow and steady pace and ultimately wins the race. This teaches the lesson that slow and consistent effort can overcome speed.
Financial planning: should you be a tortoise or a hare?
This lesson can be perfectly applied to financial planning.
If the characters in the fable were investors, the Hare would be a market timer while the Tortoise would adopt a buy-and-hold strategy.
Let’s take a look at why the Tortoise is the wiser of the two.
Timing the markets
In the race, the Hare relies on his superior speed to get ahead. In the world of investment, this is like making short-term gains by timing the market. It’s certainly possible, although not easy, to make a quick buck but there is an opportunity cost to doing so.
The Hare, overconfident that he is ahead, takes his foot off the pedal and takes a break from the race. The investment equivalent is selling while the markets are high. You will make money doing that but will you time it exactly right? Or will the markets go higher still? And even if you time the sale perfectly, once you have sold your money is idle, just like the Hare, and you will be missing out on long-term growth until you reinvest.
You might think that short periods out of the markets can’t make much difference but missing the best days in the markets, when gains are strongest, can have a devastating effect on return over the long term. One study showed that an investor missing out on the 10 best days in the market between 2003 and 2022, would have made over 50% less on a $10,000 portfolio invested in the S&P 500. And no one can predict when those 10 best days will occur. Indeed, historically, some of the best days have happened immediately after market lows.
In addition, just as the Hare mistimes restarting the race and loses as a result, trying to predict the perfect moment to reinvest in the markets is impossible. You could invest just before markets take a major downturn, canceling out any gains you made previously.
In short, timing the markets is a gamble that rarely pays off over the long term.
A buy-and-hold strategy
In contrast to the Hare, the Tortoise in the story is a plodder! He’s not dramatic, exciting, or sexy but he gets on with the job quietly and without fuss, keeping his eye firmly on the finish line.
That’s what adopting a buy-and-hold strategy is like. You invest in a portfolio (don’t forget to diversify!), you keep hold of it and you wait. You won’t get the adrenaline hit of big short-term wins, but rather the quiet satisfaction of seeing your portfolio grow steadily over the long term, albeit through the inevitable ups and downs of the markets.
Of course, you will need to review your investments periodically to ensure that they remain aligned with your long-term goals. On occasion, you will need to buy and sell to readjust your portfolio, but these decisions should be considered within the context of your overall financial plan, and not taken simply because the markets are soaring or tanking.
Help and advice to win the financial planning race
Wise investors understand that slow and steady wins the race.
And perhaps there is a second lesson to be learned from this fable: achieving your goals alone can be difficult.
The Hare would have benefitted from a coach to advise him during the race! An objective third party could have pointed out that taking a nap in the middle of a race was a bad idea and encouraged him to continue even if he felt tired.
It’s no different with financial planning. Often, it can be hard to define your investment goals and stick to a buy-and-hold strategy. Having a coach on your side, in the form of a financial adviser, can be invaluable. They will provide an objective view, highlight any flaws in your plan, and offer encouragement when motivation wanes.
If you’re looking for a financial coach to guide you, why not work with one of our highly knowledgeable advisers across Asia?
Get in touch today and make sure you’re a winner in the financial planning race!
A leading provider of expat financial services and wealth management services across Asia.
