“It’s time, not timing” (Wall Street adage)
“It’s time, not timing” is a condensed version of the Wall Street adage “time in the market is better than timing the market.” This adage contends that it’s impossible to perfectly time the stock market’s highs and lows, but that, in the long run (“time in the market”), stocks are a good buy.
The shortened ““time, not timing” is cited from at least 1966.
4 October 1966, Western Kansas Press (Great Bend, KS), “Everything Going Up But The Stock Market” by Dick West (United Press International), pg. 8, col. 2:
“The records prove that, given time, investment in a well-selected cross-section of stocks has always produced desirable results,” he said. “The secret to investment success is time, not timing.”
(David Heald, senior vice president of Putnam Fund Distributors, Inc., of Boston—ed.)
5 April 1992, Daily News (Los Angeles, CA), “Business Style—Financial Phrases You Can Take to the Bank”:
It’s time, not timing. Even the best in the business admit that they are often more lucky than skilled in timing the market. People who jump in and out of ...
8 May 1992, San Antonio (TX) Express-News, “Time, patience and investing helps build wealth, financial expert says” by Edna McGaffney, pg. 16A:
“It’s time that makes money, not timing,” Lippman said. “Being patient is a requirement for investment success.
Google Groups: misc.invest.stocks
Newsgroups: misc.invest.stocks
From: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) (Craig Dunn)
Date: 1995/05/16
Subject: Re: Load vs. No Load Mutual Funds
The addage that it’s time not timing in the market that makes the difference is true. I would be the first to admit that if you have the time, temperment and timing to handle everything on your own and the patience of Job, then do no-loads and good luck. If you are in the markets long enough, you will learn that there are no right answers nor wrong answers only shades of gray.
8 October 1995, Greensboro (NC) News and Record, “Market-Timers Fiddle Around with Fund Assets” by Tim Quinson, pg. E2:
“It’s not timing the markets that’s important ... it’s time in the markets,” writes John Hancock Mutual Funds in a brochure that’s sent four times a year to ...
International Herald Tribune
This Year, Give Children the Gift of Thrift
By Rupert Bruce
Published: SATURDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1995
(...)
But, according to Mr. Tankersley, the tax breaks mean nothing unless the donor is disciplined about saving regularly and for the long term. “In the U.S. we have a saying,” he says.“‘It’s not timing the market, it’s time in the market.”’
17 July 1996, Philadelphia (PA) Inquirer, “A Primer for When Bear Chases Bull,” Business, pg. C2:
“It’s time - not timing - that’s the secret to success,’’ says Hugh Johnson, chief investment officer at First Albany Corp., a brokerage firm.
Google Books
The Money Club:
Is Your Financial Future Safe? What Every Woman Should Know
By Marilyn Crockett, Diane Terman Felenstein and Dale Burg
New York, NY: Simon and Schuster
1998
Pg. 125:
IT’S TIME, NOT TIMING, THAT COUNTS
It’s not when you get in that matters, it’s how long you stay.
BBC News
Wednesday, May 20, 1998 Published at 18:27 GMT 19:27 UK
Biz: Your Money: Money Reports
Investing - art or science?
(...)
That is much the same idea as Neil Simpson of the financial pages of the Mail on Sunday.
He says there is an old rule “It’s time not timing that matters” with share investments. As long as you can afford to leave your money in for a long period of time the chances are that share prices will rise.
Google Books
Independently Wealthy:
How to Build Financial Security in the New Economic Era
By Robert Goodman
Edition: 2, illustrated, revised
Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons
2001
Pg. 86:
It’s Time in the Market, Not Timing the Market
Time, the ultimate enemy of procrstinators, can be the ally of successful equity investors.
Wormsign - Ian Stewart’s Blog
Thursday, January 17, 2008
It’s Time In The Market (And Not Timing)
This has been a really tough tape for a while now.
You can’t time the market. As tempting as it is too look back at the volatility and think “If I’d just sold here and bought back here…”, there is no reliable way to do that. Yes, there are a minority of short term successes that end up trying to sell books and seminars on late night TV. But statistically speaking, that’s gambling, and the odds are not in your favour.
Cabot Wealth Advisory
Why Market Timing Works
By Paul Goodwin
Emerging Markets Specialist, Analyst and Editor of Cabot China & Emerging Markets Report
January 19, 2008
I spent several years at Putnam Investments, and during that time, several institutional maxims about investing were repeated over and over, to the point that they just seemed true ... period. And since they were always buttressed with impressive statistics, they did, indeed, seem true.
One of my favorites was, “It’s Time, Not Timing.” This was to caution investors who might be tempted to cash out during bearish periods and then invest again when the bulls reasserted themselves.
Fool.co.uk
The Benefits Of Regular Investment
Published on: March 4, 2008
(...)
The key fact in our opinion is that the long-term direction of the market is upwards. You can’t time your entry to perfection; the most important thing is taking part. There’s an old investment saying – it’s time not timing. You are never going to buy at the very bottom and sell at the top, not unless you are extremely fortunate. Think of investing as a marathon. The key thing is to finish; the secondary consideration is your performance. It’s no good going sprinting off only to collapse in a heap two miles later.
Money Mind (March 13, 2008)
How to Invest : It’s Time, not Timing