Page 24 - IreitEbook

CHAPTER 4:

Now.

That’s the answer to the question of when is the best time to invest in REITs. Right

now and not a moment later. The overall sector is ripe for the picking.

That’s about as evergreen an investment statement as you’re going to get.

Here’s the thing… People worry too much about timing the markets. It’s even safe

to say they obsess over timing the markets, getting in and out according to any and

every hiccup the various indexes might have.

This makes their efforts both exhausting and futile.

Mark W. Riepe, CFA and senior vice president for the Schwab Center for Financial

Research, had this to say on the subject, as published on Charles Schwab’s larger site:

“Our research shows that the cost of waiting for the perfect moment to invest

exceeds the benefits of even perfect timing. And because timing the market

perfectly is, well, about as likely as winning the lottery, the best strategy for most of

us mere mortal investors is not to try to market-time at all. Instead, make a plan and

invest as soon as possible…”

To drive that point home, let’s go back a chapter or two to our talk on diversification,

specifically in relation to Sir John Templeton. Despite being a powerhouse investor,

he still got his stock picks wrong a whopping third of the time.

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