Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 41
Investor Returns By Alina Tarlea Regret and Risk By Jim Licato Time and time again, financial experts have recommended a long-term approach to investing and have cautioned investors against market-timing attempts. Despite these warnings, a typical trait of investor behavior is overconfidence. People exhibiting this behavior believe they have the ability to identify market highs and lows, and they invest based on this belief. It is extremely difficult, however, to consistently time the market, which is why overconfidence can lead to disappointing results. Contrary to their desired strategy, many investors end up buying high and selling low, which drastically diminishes their returns. Morningstar Investor Returns measure how a typical investor performed over time, incorporating the impact of cash inflows and outflows from purchases and sales, as opposed to total returns, which assume investors held the investment for the entire time period. The graph compares average investor returns for stock and bond funds to the returns of stock and bond benchmarks. For all but two time periods analyzed, investor returns have been consistently lower than market returns. These numbers indicate that many investors keep making investing mistakes and deviating from their investment strategies. Nobody is perfect, and biased investor behavior will not disappear overnight. However, it is paramount for advisors to recognize these biases and educate clients about the importance of –40 a disciplined investment plan. Alina Tarlea is a Morningstar research and communications analyst. Investors often react emotionally after realizing an error in judgment has been made. Investors prone to regret may base investment decisions on regretful decisions they made in the past, encouraging them to become either risk averse or to take greater risks. Consider the situation of each of the following investors. Client A purchased shares in Company ABC on Jan. 1, 2007. He sold the shares at the end of June 2007 because the stock’s performance was flat. Client B considered purchasing shares in Company ABC on the same day Client A sold his shares, but she decided to take a pass. Company ABC went on to triple in price from July 2007 through July 2009. Which investor is unhappier as a result of his or her decision? The outcome is the same; both investors should have the same amount of regret. However, studies show that the regret of having done something is greater than the regret of not having done anything. Therefore, Client A has more regret than Client B. There’s another layer to regret. Daniel Kahneman and Richard Thaler asked 100 wealthy investors to bring to mind the financial decision they regretted most. Most participants reported their greatest regret was from something that they had done. Those who reported a regret of not having done something were shown to take on more risk; they held an unusually high proportion of their portfolio in stocks. In summary, people who regret opportunities they missed take more risks than those who regret attempts that failed. K Stocks Investor returns, equity 0% –10 –20 –30 1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years S&P 500 TR Bonds Investor returns, fixed income 10% 5 0 –5 1 Year 3 Years 5 Years 10 Years BarCap US Agg Bond TR USD –10 Return data through June 30, 2009. 11111 11111 11111 11111 11111 MorningstarAdvisor.com 41
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Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009
Contents
New on MorningstarAdvisor.com
Letter from the Editor
Contributors
How Do You Use Behavioral Finance in Your Practice?
Investing in the Moment
Investment Briefs
How the Best Large-Cap Managers Rise Above the Rest
Don’t Give Up on Stocks Just Yet
Makeup of the Mind
A Top-Down Approach
In Practice: Patterns of Investor Irrationality
A Call for Nudges
The Furious Comeback of Emerging Markets
Junk-Bond Pioneer
Four Picks for the Present
Consumer Staples Hold Up in the Kitchen
Familiarity Can Breed Bad Investment Decisions
Leave the ‘Junk Rally’ Behind and Look for Quality at a Reasonable Price
Mutual Fund Analyst Picks
50 Most Popular Equity ETFs
Undervalued Stocks
New at Morningstar
Meet the New Boss, Same (School) as the Old Boss
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Cover2
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 1
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 2
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Contents
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 4
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 5
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - New on MorningstarAdvisor.com
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 7
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 8
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Letter from the Editor
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Contributors
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 11
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - How Do You Use Behavioral Finance in Your Practice?
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 13
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 14
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Investing in the Moment
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 16
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 17
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 18
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Investment Briefs
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 20
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 21
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - How the Best Large-Cap Managers Rise Above the Rest
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 23
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 24
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 25
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 26
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Don’t Give Up on Stocks Just Yet
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 28
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 29
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Makeup of the Mind
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 31
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - A Top-Down Approach
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 33
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 34
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 35
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 36
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 37
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 38
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 39
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - In Practice: Patterns of Investor Irrationality
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 41
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 42
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - A Call for Nudges
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 44
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 45
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 46
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 47
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - The Furious Comeback of Emerging Markets
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 49
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 50
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 51
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 52
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 53
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 54
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Junk-Bond Pioneer
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 56
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 57
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Four Picks for the Present
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 59
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 60
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Consumer Staples Hold Up in the Kitchen
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 62
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 63
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Familiarity Can Breed Bad Investment Decisions
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 65
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Leave the ‘Junk Rally’ Behind and Look for Quality at a Reasonable Price
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 67
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Mutual Fund Analyst Picks
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 69
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 70
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 71
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 50 Most Popular Equity ETFs
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 73
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Undervalued Stocks
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 75
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 76
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 77
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - 78
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - New at Morningstar
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Meet the New Boss, Same (School) as the Old Boss
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Cover3
Morningstar Advisor - October/November 2009 - Cover4
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