No, that’s not a threat. A recent study shows that some of the most profitable investors are ones that don’t do anything at all.
According to an internal study performed by Fidelity Investments, reported by Business Insider, the best performing investment accounts between 2003 and 2013 were those belonging to deceased investors. After them were investors who had forgotten or abandoned their Fidelity investment accounts. This information first came to light when asset manager James O’Shaughnessy revealed the fact on Bloomberg radio.
Though frankly speaking, this isn’t the most surprising information. Any experienced investor will tell you that the less active you are in the market, the less risk you have. Sure, you can potentially play the stocks with day or swing trading, high frequency stuff. But the safer investments are always the patient ones.
All that said, you shouldn’t literally “forget” about your accounts, either. You should still revisit your investment portfolio every so often, adjusting as needed.
So if you’re to take anything away from this, it’s to relax with investing. The GameStop excitement brought in a lot of new first time investors and renewed interest. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype, panic buying and selling, and generally worrying. Don’t do that. Step away and let the market do it’s thing.