What I Learned About Timing the Market Through COVID-19

What a whirlwind of a year! In March, I watched as my portfolio dropped by almost 30%, wiping out years of savings in a matter of days. I thought to myself, "If only I had sold everything in February, I'd be golden."

Less than 6 months later, everything had bounced back. I thought to myself "If only I had borrowed more money and invested it in March, I'd be golden."

This summer, I watched many electric vehicle startups explode by 300-400%. I thought "if only I'd bought all those back in May, I'd be golden." Then I watched TSLA rocket to $500 (post-split), and thought to myself "If only I had bought more Tesla."

A friend of mine just before September's "Tech Wreck" had sold some stocks to buy a house, and I thought to myself "if only I'd sold all my stocks..."

You get the idea.

The truth is, I'm terrible at timing the market. The market is unpredictable by nature. If anyone tells you they can predict the market, they're simply proving they don't know what they're talking about. Choose an appropriate asset allocation. Stick to it. And don't beat yourself up if you "miss" all those opportunities to time the market.

​The most successful investors have probably "missed" them, too.