Did i buy at the absolute worst time?

[slofizz]

So i was sitting in cash because of a rollover in March (company was bought out). I never had a chance to move it anywhere for a couple of months. Last friday I decided to get into the market and then today is like doomsday. lol.

[photo]

Markets were down on Friday, so it wasn't a bad time to buy. Now, markets are continuing down, so there will probably be better deals coming, but I wouldn't beat yourself up at all. Just remember that this is a long-term investment, and eventually your investment will go up, although we probably cannot predict a time table at this point.

[JoshuaHeckathorn]

If you were planning to cash out today, yes. If you're in it for the long run, don't let it bother you too much.

[feh]

The market dropped something like 8% last week. It was an excellent time to buy.

[danieldroga]

You have to study the trending of the market. Timing is the key to great return of investments.

[rennigade]

Originally Posted by danieldroga

You have to study the trending of the market. Timing is the key to great return of investments.

you no make sense.

[fantot]

Originally Posted by feh

The market dropped something like 8% last week. It was an excellent time to buy.

choose a right time is important.

[timbuckley10]

It's looking better today

[krantcents]

Investing is for the long term, 8% over a lifetime won't matter.

[snafu]

There is no benefit in market timing. If you added to your position at yesterday's close you would have more opportunity. We need to judge over 5 year spans, that doesn't mean we have to hold the same positions for 5 yrs, merely stay invested depending on your needs/criteria.

[GaelicWench58]

The buzz by the pros is to "Invest like a woman." Conservatively and hang on to your investment. Don't be too quick to sell. Men have a tendency to sell too quickly, not waiting long enough to see which direction the pendulum's going to swing.

Just passing on what I heard, so don't shoot the messenger.

[tripods68]

It's difficult to time the market. The best (proven) strategy to get in the market is using "dollar cost average". You minimize the loss if the stock/fund goes down the following week/month. Long term it the best strategy to use.

[jteezie]

Try the classic sell low, buy high strategy. You wait for the market to drop, then sell and buy back in when the market rebounds the next day...joke aside... I hope nobody did that over the last week. Best bet is to hold for thee long run. You got in at a good time.

[ez1]

Originally Posted by tripods68

It's difficult to time the market. The best (proven) strategy to get in the market is using "dollar cost average". You minimize the loss if the stock/fund goes down the following week/month. Long term it the best strategy to use.

Was going to post this - glad to see someone else did. For times when you have a big sum that you want to get in with, dollar cost averaging is absolutely key. The question is, how long do you take to do it? For example, if you have $100,000 to invest - do you do it in $10,000 increments daily? Do you do it in $20,000 increments monthly? That part is a little bit tricky. I would look at your time horizon for the money. If it's 401-k money that won't be accessed for another 25 years, you can definitely afford to put in 20% of the total amount each month. If it's short term trading money, do it faster.