Does buy-and-hold investing still work?

Historically, buying and holding investments for the long-term has been a successful strategy for many investors. However, success depends on factors such as investment type, market conditions, and the investor's goals and risk tolerance.

Over time, the markets have grown exponentially and the patient investors who stay invested through the fluctuations are often rewarded.

Nonetheless, investing carries risks, and past performance doesn't guarantee future results. Investors should carefully evaluate their goals and risk tolerance when choosing a long-term investment strategy, as different investments have varying levels of risk.

What is buy-and-hold investing?

This investment strategy often involves both buying and holding investments, which are distinct but complementary concepts.

Investing involves buying assets such as shares, bonds, investment funds or property with the expectation of earning a return over time. Investors usually have specific goals in mind when buying investments, such as generating income or building wealth.

Holding investments involves retaining those assets in a portfolio for an extended period rather than selling them in the short-term. This long-term strategy aims to benefit from potential growth over time, allowing investors to weather market fluctuations and capitalize on the investments' potential.

While investing is a critical step in building a portfolio, holding investments is equally important to achieving long-term goals. By holding investments for the long term, investors can benefit from potential growth and ride out short-term market volatility. 

How does a buy-and-hold investment work?

The success of buying and holding investments depends on many factors, and stock markets tend to grow over the long term, giving investors the opportunity to increase the value of their portfolios. 

In order to implement a buy-and-hold strategy, you can follow the steps below:

• Identify your investment goals: Before investing in a mutual fund, you should define your investment goals and risk tolerance. This will assist you in selecting funds that are in line with your investment objectives.
• Choose the appropriate funds: Mutual funds are an easy way to diversify your portfolio because they usually contain a mix of stocks, bonds, or other assets. When selecting funds, look for those with a long-term history of consistent performance and lower expense ratio.
• Invest regularly: You can invest in mutual funds regularly using systematic investment plans (SIPs). With SIPs, you invest a fixed amount of money at regular intervals, such as monthly or quarterly. This method provides the benefit of rupee-cost averaging.
• Monitor your investments: While a buy-and-hold strategy involves holding investments for the long-term, regularly reviewing is crucial to align investment goals and risk tolerance. Reviewing your funds at least once a year and making changes if necessary can help you stay on track.

Advantages of buy-and-hold investment strategy

• Reduced transaction costs: Because there's no need to buy and sell stocks frequently, lower commissions and other transaction fees can save investors money over time.
• Staying invested: This strategy allows investors to stay in the market for longer periods of time, which can lead to higher long-term returns. It also helps to avoid the temptation to time the market, which can be difficult and often leads to lower returns.
• Compound interest: Holding investments for a longer duration can allow for compound interest to take effect. The compounding process ensures that the interest is earned on the initial investment as well  on any interest earned from the investment.

Disadvantages of buy-and-hold investment strategy

• Reduced flexibility: Holding investments for an extended period can reduce an investor's flexibility to react to changing market conditions or individual investment performance. This can result in missed opportunities or holding onto underperforming investments for too long.
• Long road to growth: At the heart of investment is the search for higher returns over a longer period of time. The strategy takes time to grow your corpus and requires patience to see the magic of compounding.

Although investing always carries risks, a buy-and-hold approach may help investors reduce the impact of short-term market fluctuations and yield favorable returns over the long term. However, it is crucial for investors to periodically review their investments to ensure that it aligns with their investment objectives.

Overall, a disciplined and patient approach to investing in can help investors achieve their long-term investment goals and create wealth over time.