Close Close
Sign In
Newsletters
Popular Financial Topics Discover relevant content from across the suite of ALM legal publications From the Industry More content from ThinkAdvisor and select sponsors Investment Advisor Issue Gallery Read digital editions of Investment Advisor Magazine Tax Facts Get clear, current, and reliable answers to pressing tax questions
Luminaries Awards
Podcast Center Video Center Webcasts Resource Center Events
About ThinkAdvisor Contact Us Advertise With Us Asset & Logo Licensing Sitemap Terms of Service Privacy Policy Copyright © 2024 ALM Global, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
ThinkAdvisor

Portfolio > Portfolio Construction > Investment Strategies

In Volatile 2021, Most Investors Satisfied With Investment Decisions: Study

By Michael S. Fischer

X
Your article was successfully shared with the contacts you provided.

What You Need to Know

  • Forty-three percent of respondents said they have learned that it is better to stay the course when investing.
  • Two in 5 respondents said they plan to check in with a financial advisor and use online tools to review their portfolios.
  • In 2022, 37% plan to learn more about investing, 36% will use online tools more and 34% will consult an advisor.

Threats to investors’ portfolio abounded in 2021, including inflation, rich valuations and coronavirus mutations.

Yet 81% of experienced investors in E-Trade Financial’s latest quarterly tracking study said they are satisfied with how they managed their investments in 2021, up 10 percentage points year over year. 

Only 3% purported to be somewhat dissatisfied, and 16% were neutral.

Dynata fielded the online study in mid-October among a sample of 901 self-directed, active investors in the U.S. who manage at least $10,000 in an online brokerage account.

With more people engaging with the market than ever, 43% of investors said they have learned that it is better to stay the course when investing. This lesson easily beat out “strategically moving in and out of the market,” cited by 20% of respondents, and “keep more cash on hand/save for an emergency fund,” cited by 14%.

At year-end, 2 in 5 investors in the study said they plan to check in with a financial advisor and use online tools to review their portfolios. 

Thirty-one percent said they will sell any stocks that have lost value in order to offset taxes on both gains and income, and 28% will make a charitable donation of stocks, bonds or cash.

As for financial New Year’s resolutions, 37% said they plan to learn more about investing, trading and the markets; 36% said they will use online tools more often; and 34% resolved to seek the help of investment professionals. 

“As we continue to navigate through the pandemic for yet another year, it’s encouraging that investors recognize that staying the course is a solid strategy,” Mike Loewengart, managing director of investment strategy at E-Trade Financial, said in a statement. 

“And though we’ve experienced a robust bull market, this final quarter of 2021 has shown we’re not immune to volatility. We may continue to see ebbs and flows in the market, and investors are employing all of the tools in their toolkit to stay on track.

Michael S. Fischer

NOT FOR REPRINT

© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.