7 Qualities of a Disciplined Investor with Mark Biller | FaithFi
September 21, 2020
7 Qualities of a Disciplined Investor with Mark Biller
Faith & Finance with Rob West
Proverbs 21:5, “Steady plodding brings prosperity... But here’s the thing about steady plodding it requires discipline. So how do we get discipline? How do we prevent emotions from dictating our decisions? Rob West explores that with Mark Biller.
One the most cited verses on investing is Proverbs 21:5, “Steady plodding brings prosperity; hasty speculation brings poverty.” But here’s the thing about steady plodding it requires discipline. So how do we get
discipline? How do we prevent emotions from dictating our decisions? Host Rob West explores that with investing expert Mark Biller.
When it comes to investing, learning what you’re supposed to do is relatively easy. But doing what you’re supposed to do, well, that’s surprisingly hard. We can be our own worst enemies, especially when the market becomes unusually volatile.
Our emotions interact with news and market events in ways that often sabotage us. We all want to “buy low and sell high,” but emotionally, it’s difficult to do either. Experience shows that most investors do the exact opposite.
Few investors are willing to “sell high,” even after a huge market run higher with caution signs of high valuations all around. When the markets have been good lately, greed tends to kick in and investors want to make even more.
It’s not easy to “buy low.” Usually when prices drop it’s because the economy is weak, the news is bad, and people are pessimistic or uncertain.
Mark Biller has identified seven qualities that we need to develop to overcome our emotions.
Be humble. Accept that “there’s nothing new under the sun” as Ecclesiastes 1:9 tells us. The instructions God has given us in His Word have proven time and again to be practical and effective.
Beconscientious. That means seeing yourself as a caretaker of what God’s given you. It means acknowledging that taking undue risks jeopardizes His wealth.
Be prepared. That means developing a written plan that lays out your investment strategy, one that reflects your personal goals and an appropriate level of risk.
Be content. A preoccupation with large profits can be dangerous, as the Apostle Paul warns in 1 Timothy 6 when he says:“Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
Be diversified. Ecclesiastes 11 tells us,“Invest in seven ventures, yes, in eight; you do not know what disaster may come upon the land.”
Be patient. Take your cue from the Parable of the Talents where the master was away for “a long time” and make your strategy a long-term one that seeks to build wealth slowly over time. That mindset allows you to take the up-and-down market cycles in stride. Time is the enemy of the speculator, but the friend of the investor.
Be accountable. We suggest showing your plan to your spouse or maybe a trusted Christian friend, and review it with them regularly to show you’re being faithful to follow it.
Mark Biller of Sound Mind Investing has been our guest today. You can read their article, “The 7 Qualities of a Disciplined Investor” at SoundMindInvesting.org.
Here are some questions we answered from our callers on this program:
What is title protection insurance?
How is the RMD calculated?
Is there a certain age that you shouldn’t buy a house?
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