One of our all-time favorite columnists, whose insights we’ve shared here before, is Jason Zweig of The Wall Street Journal. Jason authors “The Intelligent Investor,” a column named after Benjamin Graham’s classic book—often referred to as the ultimate guide on investing. (Warren Buffett calls it “the best book about investing ever written!”)

Jason’s opening line in his latest article sums up a core message you’ve seen here for years and in our client letters:

“Investing isn’t about mastering the markets; it’s about mastering yourself.”

Put simply, your behavior as an investor has a greater impact on your long-term returns than any market movement. This is where we come in—to help you stay calm and fully invested, whether markets are booming or turbulent.

As Benjamin Graham said in 1949:  

“The investor’s chief problem—and even his worst enemy—is likely to be himself.”

In today’s environment, staying steady is harder than ever with social media, trading apps, and online distractions. For more on why, we highly recommend Jason’s full article here, which includes links to further resources. And of course, we’re always here to talk through any of these topics—just give us a call or schedule a time here.

WSJ columnist Jason Zweig elegantly analyzes and answers a current phenomenon: “It’s a stock picker’s market. So why aren’t more stock pickers doing better?”

Would you consider your own portfolio “diversified” if only three stocks accounted for more than 20% of the value of the portfolio? You might be excited at a cocktail party, but how well would you sleep if only one stock (Nvidia) accounted for more than 30% of the year-to-date return of the S&P 500?

Read on to learn more about how correlation and concentration are confounding stockpickers while following an evidence-based, long-view approach ignores the noise and chugs along.

Hill Investment Group is a registered investment adviser. Registration of an Investment Advisor does not imply any level of skill or training.  This information is educational and does not intend to make an offer for the sale of any specific securities, investments, or strategies.  Investments involve risk and, past performance is not indicative of future performance. Return will be reduced by advisory fees and any other expenses incurred in the management of a client’s account. Consult with a qualified financial adviser before implementing any investment strategy.

In a recent WSJ piece, Jason Zweig discusses two things to do when the stock market gets crazy. The article and Zweig’s advice are worth your time (and the tips should sound familiar).

What’s more, Zweig highlights some long view thoughts from recent podcast guest, Hal Hershfield.

“Our distant future selves feel like different people from who we are now,” says Hal Hershfield, a behavioral scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, who studies how time affects people’s decisions. “It can become especially difficult to keep those distant selves in mind when there’s so many emotions in the present—in the form of temptation or fear.”

If you haven’t already, listen here to the podcast episode with Hal Hershfield.