Sir John Templeton was a twentieth century American-born British investor, banker and fund manager. He entered the mutual fund market and created the Templeton Growth Fund, which averaged growth over 15 percent per year for 38 years. He once said, “To buy when others are despondently selling and to sell when others are avidly buying requires the greatest fortitude.” Warren Buffett also once said that it is wise for investors to be “fearful when others are greedy, and greedy when others are fearful.”
Easier said than done, I hear you say. How do you keep your head around you when everyone is losing theirs? Thinking contrarian has always been a great strategy and one which I have employed extensively over the years. Naturally, to be honest. Thinking differently to the crowd requires patience, discipline, and very little emotion. These are traits that sometimes have to be wired (or indeed forced) into your brain. Especially when you are losing money. Considering every asset class is down, it will pay to be less emotional, have endless patience and more discipline than ever. Testing times with investing. For all of us. Including myself. But I’ve been here before.