Investing is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes guts to stick to your plan and avoid selling into a bad market. “Buy low, sell high” seems easy enough to master. Many investors fail to follow this advice including DIYers and professional advisors alike. There are ways to avoid the pitfalls of emotional investing  — here’s a collection of a few to remember.

Establish long-term goals

Paying fees for professional investment management is something we’d all like to avoid. Why pay for some guy in a suit to manage your investments when you can do-it-yourself with a simple online brokerage account? There are many reasons to trust a professional - read on to find out whether it’s worth it to go with the pros.

Active vs. Passive

If you’re a beginning investor, it’s likely you’re concentrating on building your portfolio.  But as important as it is to build that portfolio, you should also ensure that it’s diversified.

Why is a diversified portfolio so important?

There are three key reasons why diversifying is important: