Buy And Hold, Or Stay Active As Times Change?

Many investors and even experts recommend buying the 10 largest local shares and keeping them. But a buy-and-hold strategy isn’t always the best one.

- Schalk Louw

I find the concept of human perception incredibly fascinating, especially when it comes to the selective decision-making process of what to remember and what not. As a young man, I fell in love with the Alfa GT Junior sportscar. For me, there was nothing more beautiful than those little red monsters. The fact that technology had advanced along with luxury and handling didn’t matter to me. In my mind, the Alfa GT Junior would be the last car you own if you were lucky enough to own one. Roughly 10 years ago, my dream came true and I was able to buy myself a 1976 model. I will never forget how excited I was for the arrival of my new toy. Make no mistake, I loved the car, but the way I pictured it in my mind compared to the car I actually finally got to drive, were two very different things. When compared to modern cars, the Alfa was bumpy, uncomfortable and in many ways, very impractical.

When you ask one of the most successful investors of all time, Warren Buffett, which term is his favourite when it comes to holding a share he bought, his answer will be, “forever”. If this is the way he sees it, then surely, as was the case with the Alfa in 1976, it has to be the best strategy?