REMINDER: You Are 'Shockingly' Terrible At Investing [View all]

Yes, that is the original article title.


http://www.businessinsider.com/typical-investor-returns-20-years-2014-8

Most people are just terrible at investing. We hear about this frequently.

One big problem is that investors often find themselves buying at highs and selling at lows, especially when volatility picks up and patience is tested.

"Amidst difficult financial times, emotional instincts often drive investors to take actions that make no rational sense but make perfect emotional sense," said BlackRock back in 2012. "Psychological factors such as fear often translate into poor timing of buys and sells."

Richard Bernstein of Richard Bernstein Advisors considers twenty years of historical data for this in a new research note.