What a Couple of Days Away From the Stock Market Can Teach You

I have recently completely relocated my family from our comfortable lives in Canada to a much different life in Norway. My company has moved me and so far it has been the experience of our lives. Many new sites, things to do, and cultural experiences to learn from. Like any move, whether it is down the street or to a completely different continent 1000's of kilometers away, there are always issues that come up. One such issue has been the set up of our internet service and keeping a secure connection.

Norway is a very technically advanced country. In many ways I believe they are many years ahead. Banking is a good example. The entire banking system here is a seemless well oiled machine. There is absolutely no paper involved and things just work. However, my internet connection has not been as reliable, primarily because of some faulty setup of our modem. Completely at random, we would lose the connection to the internet and my blogging activities and ways to be connected with home disappeared - we use VoIP as our phone which means that when the internet is down so is our phone. However, as I was reflecting on the post I needed to write for this blog as the deadline was looming, one thing occurred to me - it was actually nice not to have to look at the market or even think about investing for a couple of days! And you know what, nothing happened while being disconnected and my stocks ebbed and flowed as they always do.

The lesson for me in all of this, is that it is ok not to watch the market all the time and worry about how your positions are doing, especially if you are a long-term investor. Stocks are going to go up and down. Your portfolio is going to go up and down. If your portfolio is well structured and you have a balanced asset allocation, then things will turn out just fine. Overactivity can actually be an investor's downfall - fees, emotional reactions etc. Disconnect yourself for a while and you will see!

Now I am going to go pick the kids up from school and take them to the beach to enjoy the sun.

This article was written by The Dividend Guy. You may email questions or comments to me at info@thedividendguyblog.com.