If you are a toe dipper or an inch-er when it comes to getting into cold water then you understand dollar-cost averaging.  A prudent strategy in rising and falling markets. Below is my latest column.

Perhaps by now you’ve compiled your stock “watch” list. Presumably it contains the names of companies whose products or services you admire.

In his book “One Up on Wall Street,” fabled growth investor Peter Lynch advises that the average investor can produce enviable returns just by looking for companies with products they know and use every day. Lynch goes on to say, “Everyone has the brainpower to follow the stock market. If you made it through fifth-grade math, you can do it.”

Let’s take heart in his words as we press on.

Most likely you are wondering if you should be investing now, with every headline screaming that the market has hit historical highs. Many individual investors fear that just as they are jumping in, the “smart money” is jumping out.

Read more here:  The Arizona Republic

If there is one thing you need to remember about investing, it is this: The stock market is a tug of war between fear and greed.

Whenever possible, we want to buy from fearful sellers and sell to greedy buyers. My experience confirms that the best time to buy a stock is often when investors are running for the exits. It is also the hardest time to do so. That is why I keep a watch list of stocks I want to own (yes, I really do keep a list and so should you) and do my best to learn a great deal about the company before I make a purchase.

Read the rest of my column here: The Arizona Republic