With time, I realized that investing in the market is like riding a Tilt-a-Whirl operated by a distracted carnival worker. Like a Tilt-a-Whirl, the market tends to be up and down, then up again (followed by another drop).
Historically, it’s worked out for investors over the long term, but that doesn’t mean it’s not scary. It’s tempting to read a deeper meaning into every move the market makes.
Rather than stressing out over each economic hiccup that impacts our investments, time has taught me to focus on the things I can control: frequently rebalancing our portfolio to ensure our asset allocation includes both high- and low-risk investments, and building buffer assets we won’t touch until retirement.
This post originally appeared at The Motley Fool.