It is a Deja vu feeling as I write today. I remember the over exuberance in 2007 and then the opportunity lost in 2008.

One thing is for sure, equity investments are the true test for any investor across. The falls in the market show the differentiation between an Investor and a trader.

I thought I will list few traits, I personally believe can help investors to look at equity differently:

Thou shalt Strategize

 The first step is to build a strategy for investing in equity. The strategy should lead you to buy equity, not your greed.

Thou shalt Allocate

Put only that part of the portfolio in equity which won’t give you sleepless nights, even if it were to fall by 50%.

Thou shalt Ignore

 Don’t watch your portfolio regularly, ask your advisor to hide the equity portion for a couple of years. If you don’t trust your advisor, then you already are in a wrong boat…change it.

Thou shalt have liquidity

 Always have some amounts ready for dips and don’t invest all at any point of time. It’s like seeing a Merc available at 5 lakhs but you don’t have the money to buy it.

Thou shalt avoid timing

 Nobody knows where the market is heading, not even your advisor and people who pretend they know, also don’t know. Keep investing as investments from peak to bottom also generate decent returns.

Thou shalt stagger

 Staggered investments into equities through SIP, STP, etc are the best way to buy volatility.

Thou shalt know that the falling market is thy friend

 If you are a long term investor and have set out to create wealth and are investing regularly, then the market dips should be used to buy more.

Thou shalt know that the information you have is not the information you need

 Stick to your portfolio basics and don’t get influenced by news flow….it corrupts your mindset.

Thou shalt invest in thyself

 Financial education is a must and try calling your advisor at your place for education for a change.

Thou shalt ignore sentiments

 Decisions influenced by bias or sentiments can cause pain in the longer run. At the same time let your advisor take unbiased and non-sentimental decisions on your behalf.

So much more can be written and it’s high time we Indians understand why we haven’t made money in equity so far. The BSE Sensex has risen from 5000 points in early 2000 to 42000 as I write this in January 2020. Mutual Fund NAV’s have risen from 10 Rs. to 700 Rs. in past 18 years and we still believe equity is risky. I think a human being who can control emotions and decide strategically is the best suited for equity. Question is ‘Can we control our emotions?” and the answer is “YES WE CAN”