4 Tips to Help You Keep Your Emotions Out of Investments
Making good financial decisions requires more than just good information, you need a clear head, some discipline and a little distance.
Money is always an emotional subject, but often when our emotions get involved with our investments we will make wrong decisions. And that can be a costly mistake. Keeping emotions and investing separate seems almost impossible for many investors. When reacting too quickly and letting emotions cloud judgment, even the most professional and experienced investors do not make the best decisions. However, keeping emotions away from investment decisions can give you a better chance for success.
Here are four tips on how to keep emotions and investing separate:
1. Set financial goals. Setting financial goals is the first step to investing, and financial goals can keep emotions out of the picture if done correctly. Having a plan will help you keep an eye on the big picture. For example, if you are saving for retirement in 20 years, you know that you have more time to make up for any losses than if you plan to retire in 10 years. These goals can also keep you focused on what you need to do today to get there.
From just $107.88 $24.99 for Kiplinger Personal Finance
Become a smarter, better informed investor. Subscribe from just $107.88 $24.99, plus get up to 4 Special Issues
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
2. Fight the urge to check performance too often. You might be someone who has the urge to check up on your investments every day, possibly for hours. In doing so, you will see more of the market gyrations than if you check monthly or quarterly. Checking so constantly will not benefit your portfolio in any way, but it may just cause more anxiety. This is even more important if you own individual stocks or mutual funds in any kind of personal account or retirement account. Checking these holdings too often can cause you to panic, and you might make a snap judgment trade. Instead, keep your checks to monthly or quarterly, and concentrate on sticking to your overall plan.
3. Know the objectives and risks in what you buy. Knowing what you are buying is crucial to help you avoid emotional setbacks in investing. Always do your own research before purchasing anything, even if you have outside assistance. Understand what the investment is, how it will help you achieve your goal, what the risks are, and when and how to exit. Without your own research, you will not take full responsibility for your trades, introducing negative emotions.
4. Assign a professional buffer zone. You can create some distance between yourself and your investments by putting a financial professional in the middle of the two. Entrusting a neutral third party who can help you examine your situation dispassionately and encourage you to stay on track, you can hold yourself more accountable for the things that you can actually control.
Did you know? From the small purchase decisions to the large financial plans, it often helps to write things down. Then, you can examine how you come to decisions — which should lead you to make better ones.
-
Timeless Trips for Solo TravelersHow to find a getaway that suits your style.
-
A Top Vanguard ETF Pick Outperforms on International StrengthA weakening dollar and lower interest rates lifted international stocks, which was good news for one of our favorite exchange-traded funds.
-
Is There Such a Thing As a Safe Stock? 17 Safe-Enough IdeasNo stock is completely safe, but we can make educated guesses about which ones are likely to provide smooth sailing.
-
Missed Your RMD? 4 Ways to Avoid Doing That Again (and Skip the IRS Penalties), From a Financial PlannerIf you miss your RMDs, you could face a hefty fine. Here are four ways to stay on top of your payments — and on the right side of the IRS.
-
What Really Happens in the First 30 Days After Someone Dies (and Where Families Get Stuck)The administrative requirements following a death move quickly. This is how to ensure your loved ones won't be plunged into chaos during a time of distress.
-
AI-Powered Investing in 2026: How Algorithms Will Shape Your PortfolioAI is becoming a standard investing tool, as it helps cut through the noise, personalize portfolios and manage risk. That said, human oversight remains essential. Here's how it all works.
-
A Newly Retired Couple With a Portfolio Full of Winners Faced a $50,000 Tax Bill: This Is the Strategy That Helped Save ThemLarge unrealized capital gains can create a serious tax headache for retirees with a successful portfolio. A tax-aware long-short strategy can help.
-
5 Retirement Myths to Leave Behind (and How to Start Planning for the Reality)Separating facts from fiction is an important first step toward building a retirement plan that's grounded in reality and not based on incorrect assumptions.
-
I'm a Financial Adviser: Silence Is Golden, But It Hurts Your Heirs More Than You ThinkTalking to heirs about transferring wealth can be overwhelming, but avoiding it now can lead to conflict later. Here's how to start sharing your plans.
-
Will Your Children's Inheritance Set Them Free or Tie Them Up?An inheritance can mean extraordinary freedom for your loved ones, but could also cause more harm than good. How can you ensure your family gets it right?
-
I'm a Financial Adviser: This Is the Real Key to Enjoying Retirement With ConfidenceA resilient retirement plan is a flexible framework that addresses income, health care, taxes and investments. And that means you should review it regularly.
