them.

Nervous investors are all too often tempted to stop investing, or redirect their capital to currently outperforming markets. Thus, systematically implementing and applying a Dollar Cost Averaging strategy prevents this kind of behavior but does require the emotional discipline against the crowd consensus.

But what will be the disadvantages if someone chooses to adopt this method of investing. By signing up for a monthly investment program, for instance, putting in $100 every mon

Buy low and sell high; that's the basic principal behind investing. But who can time the market accurately?

Dollar Cost Averaging is a practice of investing a fixed amount into a market on a regular basis where investors use a systematic approach regardless of market conditions. The most common application of Dollar Cost Averaging is investing in unit trusts, though it can also be done through other investments such as stocks. However, investors of specific stocks need to evaluate the share more closely, while a unit trust fund would be diversified.

Dollar Cost Averaging is an effective way to produce above average and long term returns. Its facilitates the systematic capture of larger market cycles, providing a natural timeframe to consistently accumulate holdings in markets that are automatically low in order to profit later when the price high.

By regularly investing a fixed amount of money into an investment, the number of units you purchase each month will vary inversely to the market price. You'll automatically buy more units of an investment when its price is lower and fewer units when its price is higher. Basically, Dollar Cost Averaging automatically facilitates buying low and selling high. Provided you continue to purchase through cyclical dips, your average purchase price will always be cheaper than the average market price over the period of time.

Dollar Cost Averaging is particularly well suited to accumulating equity markets because their higher volatility creates greater movements, providing plentiful opportunities to capture a large number of price variances and further enhancing the effect.

The nature of investors is, they always make an assumption that investments that have recently gone up will continue to rise and those that have recently been falling, or are low, will continue to fall. Investors often subconsciously label recently rising investments as 'good' and want to buy more while recently falling as 'bad' and avoid them.

Nervous investors are all too often tempted to stop investing, or redirect their capital to currently outperforming markets. Thus, systematically implementing and applying a Dollar Cost Averaging strategy prevents this kind of behavior but does require the emotional discipline against the crowd consensus.

But what will be the disadvantages if someone chooses to adopt this method of investing. By signing up for a monthly investment program, for instance, putting in $100 every mont

e more closely, while a unit trust fund would be diversified.

Dollar Cost Averaging is an effective way to produce above average and long term returns. Its facilitates the systematic capture of larger market cycles, providing a natural timeframe to consistently accumulate holdings in markets that are automatically low in order to profit later when the price high.

By regularly investing a fixed amount of money into an investment, the number of units you purchase each month will vary inversely to the market price. You'll automatically buy more units of an investment when its price is lower and fewer units when its price is higher. Basically, Dollar Cost Averaging automatically facilitates buying low and selling high. Provided you continue to purchase through cyclical dips, your average purchase price will always be cheaper than the average market price over the period of time.

Dollar Cost Averaging is particularly well suited to accumulating equity markets because their higher volatility creates greater movements, providing plentiful opportunities to capture a large number of price variances and further enhancing the effect.

The nature of investors is, they always make an assumption that investments that have recently gone up will continue to rise and those that have recently been falling, or are low, will continue to fall. Investors often subconsciously label recently rising investments as 'good' and want to buy more while recently falling as 'bad' and avoid them.

Nervous investors are all too often tempted to stop investing, or redirect their capital to currently outperforming markets. Thus, systematically implementing and applying a Dollar Cost Averaging strategy prevents this kind of behavior but does require the emotional discipline against the crowd consensus.

But what will be the disadvantages if someone chooses to adopt this method of investing. By signing up for a monthly investment program, for instance, putting in $100 every mon

rsely to the market price. You'll automatically buy more units of an investment when its price is lower and fewer units when its price is higher. Basically, Dollar Cost Averaging automatically facilitates buying low and selling high. Provided you continue to purchase through cyclical dips, your average purchase price will always be cheaper than the average market price over the period of time.

Dollar Cost Averaging is particularly well suited to accumulating equity markets because their higher volatility creates greater movements, providing plentiful opportunities to capture a large number of price variances and further enhancing the effect.

The nature of investors is, they always make an assumption that investments that have recently gone up will continue to rise and those that have recently been falling, or are low, will continue to fall. Investors often subconsciously label recently rising investments as 'good' and want to buy more while recently falling as 'bad' and avoid them.

Nervous investors are all too often tempted to stop investing, or redirect their capital to currently outperforming markets. Thus, systematically implementing and applying a Dollar Cost Averaging strategy prevents this kind of behavior but does require the emotional discipline against the crowd consensus.

But what will be the disadvantages if someone chooses to adopt this method of investing. By signing up for a monthly investment program, for instance, putting in $100 every mon

gher volatility creates greater movements, providing plentiful opportunities to capture a large number of price variances and further enhancing the effect.

The nature of investors is, they always make an assumption that investments that have recently gone up will continue to rise and those that have recently been falling, or are low, will continue to fall. Investors often subconsciously label recently rising investments as 'good' and want to buy more while recently falling as 'bad' and avoid them.

Nervous investors are all too often tempted to stop investing, or redirect their capital to currently outperforming markets. Thus, systematically implementing and applying a Dollar Cost Averaging strategy prevents this kind of behavior but does require the emotional discipline against the crowd consensus.

But what will be the disadvantages if someone chooses to adopt this method of investing. By signing up for a monthly investment program, for instance, putting in $100 every mon

them.

Nervous investors are all too often tempted to stop investing, or redirect their capital to currently outperforming markets. Thus, systematically implementing and applying a Dollar Cost Averaging strategy prevents this kind of behavior but does require the emotional discipline against the crowd consensus.

But what will be the disadvantages if someone chooses to adopt this method of investing. By signing up for a monthly investment program, for instance, putting in $100 every month, investors instantly adopt Dollar Cost Averaging. But some point out that it is Dollar Cost Averaging by accident, not as a strategy - that is regular monthly investing, not Dollar Cost Averaging as an option. People do monthly investing because they have no choice since they earn income on a monthly basis.

Dollar Cost Averaging can gives you a lower average cost compared to the market average, but that itself is no guarantee of making money. You may end up with a lower average cost than the market cost because you bought the majority of your units at a cost lower than the average price. However, it doesn't matter if your cost is below the market average cost because what matters is your exit point. If the market price is low at that point, you're still not in profit!

Another thing you should put into consideration is your discipline towards investment. You may want to put aside $100 every month, but when comes to the end of the month, you may leave with $50 only because you have spent the remainder.

Dollar Cost Averaging works best in a volatile market. It may not work well with a very conservative fund, such as an income fund where the movements are small. The timeframe for Dollar Cost Averaging must be reasonable too. Half a year is too short as the market cycle is not complete. It's best to look at five to 10 years.

As conclusion, Dollar Cost Averaging works well in reducing risks and ignoring market fluctuations. But it may not be the option for everyone. Dollar Cost Averaging is also suitable for lazy, busy, lack of knowledge and skill investors - you can close your eyes and invest on a regular basis for the long term. But for savvy investors who read the market and economic news, there are better ways to invest.