Just Say No, is the message Charles Schwab [profile] chief executive Walt Bettinger has for investors who want to get into market timing.

In a column he wrote for MarketWatch, Bettinger wrote this on the subject.

What’s clear to us at Schwab, after four decades of working with investors, is that human nature works against most of us when it comes to timing the market. When things look the worst in the market, it can be an optimal time to invest, simply due to the fact that bear market recoveries are often front-loaded, like a coiled spring. Yet our emotions tell us to stay clear and wait on the sidelines until we see signs of improvement.

In his article, Bettinger admitted that it could be tempting to think about whether to go into stocks with gusto, or beat a hasty retreat, given the fact that the Dow hit a closing at a record 14,254 Tuesday, but he writes that "most investors have neither the time nor the interest in being so actively involved in their portfolios, much less the time and attention it would require to time the market advantageously."

Read more in his MarketWatch column. 

Edited by: Tommy Fernandez


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