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5 Rules Successful Investors Follow to Build Wealth

Investing can be tricky and confusing, but successful investors always seem to have the edge over the rest. Have you ever wondered what sets them apart? What is their secret to building wealth with remarkable consistency? The answer is easier than you might think. It’s simply a matter of following a set of fundamental principles that serve as the foundation for all their investment decisions. 

These principles have been tested and proven over time, providing a blueprint for financial success. Let’s explore the top 5 principles that every successful investor follows. Whether you are a professional investor or a new beginner, you can utilize the same core principles to build wealth.

Investment Strategies and Approaches

An investment strategy serves as the foundation for how you make investment decisions. The ideal strategy should align with your financial goals, help increase your wealth, and ensure a comfortable level of risk tolerance. Your strategy will impact various aspects of your investments, from the assets you hold to how you execute trades. The following points show some popular investment strategies and approaches;

  • Growth Investing: Growth investing involves investing in companies with a high potential for growth and expecting higher returns. This approach focuses on investing in companies with a strong track record of growth and the potential for future success.
  • Income Investing: Income investing involves investing in assets that provide a steady income stream, such as bonds and dividend-paying stocks. This approach is favored by individuals seeking a more passive income stream and is willing to trade potential capital appreciation for a reliable income stream.
  • Passive Investing: Passive investing involves investing in a portfolio of assets that track a market index, such as the S&P 500. Individuals who prefer a low-maintenance investment strategy and want to avoid actively managing their investments often favor this approach.

Principles Followed by Succesful Investors

Successful investors have a set of principles that guide their investment decisions and help them build wealth over time. These principles shape their investment strategy, risk tolerance, and approach to buying and selling assets;

Diversification of Portfolio

Diversification is a crucial principle followed by successful investors. It involves spreading investments across various assets and sectors, reducing the risk of loss due to market fluctuations. A well-diversified portfolio can provide a more stable return on investment and help mitigate potential losses.

For example, consider an investor who only invests in tech stocks. If the tech sector takes a downturn, the investor will experience a significant loss. However, if the same investor had diversified their portfolio to include investments in real estate, bonds, and other sectors, it would reduce the impact of a tech sector downturn.

Risk Management Plan

Risk Management involves identifying and mitigating potential investment risks, helping protect against loss, and maximizing returns. A risk management plan should include strategies for monitoring investments, diversifying portfolios, and limiting exposure to high-risk assets.

Avoiding Impulsive Decision-Discipline

Discipline is a crucial principle followed by successful investors. It involves avoiding impulsive decisions and sticking to a well-planned investment strategy, even in the face of market volatility or short-term losses. Successful investors understand that emotions and market noise can cloud judgment, leading to poor investment decisions. By maintaining discipline and following a well-researched investment strategy, they can avoid common pitfalls and stay on track toward their financial goals.

Having Long-Term Goals

Successful investors understand that building wealth is a marathon, not a sprint and that short-term market fluctuations can have a minimal impact on their overall financial success. It involves setting clear financial objectives and developing a strategy to achieve them over some time, usually several years or more. By having long-term goals, they can stay focused on their investment strategy and avoid making impulsive decisions based on short-term market movements.

Staying Informed

This means staying up to date on market developments, industry trends, and the performance of individual investments. Successful investors understand that staying informed helps them make better investment decisions and reduces the risk of being caught off guard by unexpected events. They can identify growth opportunities and adjust their portfolio as needed by staying informed.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it’s important to remember that investing is a long-term process and requires patience, discipline, and a well-thought-out strategy. By following the above principles, investors can set themselves up for success and make informed decisions that lead to long-term financial stability.

Josh Dudick

Josh is a financial expert with over 15 years of experience on Wall Street as a senior market strategist and trader. His career has spanned from working on the New York Stock Exchange floor to investment management and portfolio trading at Citibank, Chicago Trading Company, and Flow Traders.

Josh graduated from Cornell University with a degree from the Dyson School of Applied Economics & Management at the SC Johnson College of Business. He has held multiple professional licenses during his career, including FINRA Series 3, 7, 24, 55, Nasdaq OMX, Xetra & Eurex (German), and SIX (Swiss) trading licenses. Josh served as a senior trader and strategist, business partner, and head of futures in his former roles on Wall Street.

Josh's work and authoritative advice have appeared in major publications like Nasdaq, Forbes, The Sun, Yahoo! Finance, CBS News, Fortune, The Street, MSN Money, and Go Banking Rates. Josh currently holds areas of expertise in investing, wealth management, capital markets, taxes, real estate, cryptocurrencies, and personal finance.

Josh currently runs a wealth management business and investment firm. Additionally, he is the founder and CEO of Top Dollar, where he teaches others how to build 6-figure passive income with smart money strategies that he uses professionally.