Envy -- one of the seven deadly sins. That's what I'm going to talk about today (if you'd like a course on another fatal transgression, check out Seth Jayson's dissertation on sloth).
Oh, man, all you new investors out there are so lucky, especially the younger ones: You've got it made. Dow below 10,000 the other day? Are you kidding me? When I began investing six years ago, I was on the cusp of the bubble.
Let's see, what positions did I initiate that fateful year? Well, I bought my first shares of Disney
And let's talk about mutual funds, specifically the famous one linked to the performance of the Standard & Poor's 500: the Vanguard 500 Index Fund
I'm not complaining about starting my investing protocols back when prices were higher. Long-term investing doesn't really care about the starting point; what it demands is disciplined dollar-cost averaging into solid blue chips. During these last six years, I had bought Microsoft
Whether it be the indexes or individual stocks, many are valued lower than a few years ago. We're in nausea-inducing seas of volatility right now, but I don't want to hear any whining. If you've got decades till retirement, this is a wonderful era (maybe not as wonderful as the last killing bear market in that regard, but still, it's pretty darn good). Even a stock such as Procter & Gamble
My hats off to those who have made the decision to jump into the market even with all the negative news out there; Ursa Major may seem to be rising, but over the long haul, the bull will win out.
I am so green with envy...
Fool contributor Steven Mallas owns shares in Disney, Coca-Cola, and the Vanguard 500 Index Fund.