Of all the generally accepted investment concepts called into question by the recent market environment, it seems to me that rebalancing is pretty close to the top of the list.
During late 2008 and early 2009, rebalancing your portfolio to stay close to your asset allocation target would have been almost a daily ritual—and one that would have felt increasingly futile. Even if you’d stuck to an annual approach, closing the gap between your actual asset allocation and your target would have required strong nerves.
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From the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) to the cartoon people interviewed on TV with zippy music, a recent theme in the financial press is that it’s “madness” to build a portfolio using the traditional method of setting an asset allocation and sticking with that strategy through market choppiness. No, these experts say, the market crisis proves you need to day-trade your way to investment success.
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One of the biggest frustrations for investors is that there is one huge factor no one can control—the returns that the financial markets are going to provide in any given stretch of time.
When we first start investing, we probably ought to receive the serenity prayer* along with the prospectus for whatever fund or security we’re purchasing.
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