We’ve heard 1,000 different versions of this story.

• “I hear companies are spending a lot on AI infrastructure — how can we get in on that?”
• “Precious metals have gone up so much — I don’t want to miss out on their next gains.”
• Or even just, “I haven’t saved quite enough for retirement, how can I catch up?”

There’s so many ways to say the same thing:

• “I want to beat the market. I want to get ahead faster.”

Unfortunately, research into investor performance has come to the same conclusion, over and over again. Statistically speaking, it’s highly unlikely any one of us will beat the market. In fact, the exact opposite is true. The more actively we try to beat the market, the more likely it is we’ll come out behind in the long run.

Are there exceptions? Sure. But even pros struggle to beat the market with any consistency over time. Often this year’s big winner is next year’s dud.

When we try to beat the market, we’re susceptible to not just doing the wrong thing, but doing the exact opposite of the right thing.

“Buy low, sell high,” sounds simple enough.

And as a concept, it is. But in reality, investors’ behavior is often just the opposite.

By the time an investment hits the headlines and most investors’ radars, it’s had months or even years of big gains. That’s why it’s in the news. That’s what draws market attention to it. At which point, investors who buy are buying high.

Unfortunately for the many investors who pile in here, this is often near the price peak. The price falls. And weeks or months later, these investors give up on hopes of recovery, and sell low, hoping to do better next time.

This is how the market booms and busts.

And it’s very human to get caught up in it. (Many of us have our own horror stories — and hopefully lessons learned!)

Charlie Munger, Warren Buffett’s business partner, once said, “It’s remarkable how much long-term advantage people like us have gotten by trying to be consistently not stupid, instead of trying to be very intelligent.”

For most of us — who lack some advantage over the market — the best thing we can do with most of our investments is to try to avoid mistakes. How? Just keep investing in a diversified portfolio and let time do its work.

Maybe you’ve heard the maxim, “Time in the market beats timing the market.”

Want to get ahead? Perhaps the best place to start is by NOT attempting to do so. Rather than trying to find the next hot investment or buy and sell at just the right time, just keep investing.

Start with patience and simple discipline. And let your results compound through time.

This article was written for financial advisory clients of Asset Strategies. If you’re not yet a client and you’d like to speak with a financial advisor about how they could help you prepare for retirement, request a Ready for Retirement Review here.