Not Trying to Restore the Correct Balance
To be able to be on the right risk tolerance path, you need to restore the balance of your portfolio. You can buy or trade assets with the correct value so that you can return to your previous allocation. Many self-directed investors fail in doing this. One way to deal with this is to have a portfolio management tool to automate some of the tasks, such as restoring balance.
Timing the market
When stocks drop, some investors’ initial action would be to have their money in cash and wait for the markets if they are going to rebound or drop. This can be a problem since the recovery is uncertain. If you wait, you can miss the opportunities for investment gains. To deal with this, there is a method called dollar-cost averaging. It can help make set amounts of contribution without timing the market.
Focusing on Short-term or Short Goals and Trading Too much
You may not see your investment potential as a self-directed investor if you focus on small or short-term goals. Also, there is a problem when trading is done frequently. Each time an investment is sold, it can cost you more. Therefore, it will be better to refrain from trading and instead, keeping your preferred asset allocation.