Style Drift

Your fund always invested in growth stocks. No dividends. A lotta tech in there. You got the “story” and didn’t mind paying 100x last year’s earnings for something growing earnings 400% for the foreseeable future.

But then growth stocks went through a period of disfavor. They went down more than dividend-paying stocks, where those divvys cushioned the downside. So now you’re suffering self-doubt. You’re 2 1/2 years into a bear market and you’re beside yourself, wishing you’d bought AT&T at the beginning of this down 30% bear market, and been flat over that period. But you didn’t. You’re a growth investor. That’s all you know. So your style drifted. You started nibbling on dividend stocks, slow growers, utility companies. And you did so juuuuust as the big bad bear market was ending and everything was going up again. So then those utility stocks 4 years later were up 32%, while your growth stocks, had you stuck to them, would have been up 200%.

Big whoops. Hey, pull over. This is where I get out of your Prius. I’ll rate you 5 stars. Thanks for the Lyft.