To a man with a hammer, every problem tends to look pretty much like a nail.
The above words have been attributed to both Mark Twain and psychologist Abraham Maslow, but over the past 25 years or so, they have been uttered most prominently by Charlie Munger. Twain is best known as an author, Maslow a psychologist; Munger, the famous partner of Warren Buffett, is talking about investing, and he has hit the nail on the head.
Stocks have delivered a generous average return of about 10% annually over the long term. But that average is misleading; the market can swing wildly in either direction, and as investors over the last decade have learned, anomalies to that long-run average can persist for quite a bit longer than you wish they would. If you are expecting a smooth 10% per year for the next decade, you are in for a rude awakening.
Fortunately, the common investor today has access to more tools than ever before to combat snaky markets. Looking out at today's investment horizon, you may be doing yourself a disservice if you're not using all the tools.
Open your eyes to no-brainers
As investors, we live for the day that a great opportunity just stares us in the face. It doesn't happen every day. Then again, if you are not looking around, it will never happen for you.
Last summer, when the BP
So, what are the no-brainers of today? They might be even more obvious than you think -- in my opinion, U.S. large cap stocks are historically cheap. Investors seem to have left Microsoft
Widen your perspective; it's not just about individual stocks
But even with these no-brainers, if you buy individual stocks exclusively, you are robbing yourself of opportunities elsewhere -- particularly in options and ETFs.
Take, for example, the VIX, the index that tracks market volatility. It might be near impossible to determine when market volatility will spike, but betting that markets will simmer down after an explosion can be a shrewd move for a calm-headed investor. The iPath S&P 500 VIX Short-Term Futures
I don't see an equivalent ETF play at the moment, but with shares of one of my favorite companies, Diageo
Get some more tools!
Sure, in the long term, stocks have averaged solid returns. But how long is the long term? If you invested your daughter's college tuition money entirely in equities when she was 7 years old in 2000, the market would be landing you right where you started as she turns 18 this year.
By building out your toolbox, you become better equipped to make money in any market. If absolute returns are what you're after, you might want to consider joining Motley Fool Pro, where Jeff Fischer and his team work every day to help you make money in any market -- and help you build out your own toolbox along the way. It's opening to new members for the first time since June 2010. To find out more, just put your email address in the email box below. We'll also send you a free copy of Jeff's new report, "How to Profit from the One 'Sure Thing' Coming in 2011."