subject: Reits Expert Robert Shumake Says Obstacles Are Natural [print this page] That is not the way real investing worksThat is not the way real investing works. Real investors know there are always failures and setbacks. The key is to holding yourself together through them, making the best of the bad times, and using what you learn to do better in the future.
Holding it Together
The past few years have been a great example of the kinds of things that can go wrong and make a mess of your investment portfolio. Between real estate crashes, credit crashes, stock market crashes and the country dipping into a recession, it has been a rough time. Sadly for many investors it was made worse by the fact that they did not really know what they were doing with their investments in the first place. These investors got into investing because they thought it would be a fun, can't lose proposition that they did not study before throwing their money blindly. So, as everything failed they either pulled their money out, swearing never to invest again or watched all of their money disappear.
Instead of allowing things to go poorly, you need to become educated on your investments and know whether it is wise to sell or hold steady and ride it out through the duration.
Make The Best Of It
As you start to see the changes in your REITs or real estate mutual funds, you need to decide what to do with your money. If you believe there are still more tough days ahead for your investments, you may want to sell some of them off. But instead of putting that money under your mattress, consider the other REITs or real estate mutual funds that may be reacting differently to the industry news and that could help you recover any losses you have just incurred.
Do Better In the Future
The final thing you need to do is make a plan for the future. If you have been wise you have taken notes along the way of what was happening in the market, industry and in your portfolio. There are often triggers in the news or trend reports that can key you in to financial changes that may be coming to your investments.
While you may have some down moments in your portfolio, if you learn from them, the potential for the future is much brighter.
This article was written by Robert Shumake, REITs expert, entrepreneur and philanthropist. Read more great articles by Robert Shumake at http://www.robertshumake.ws/
