Portfolio Turnover – Investopedia describes portfolio turnover as a measure of how frequently assets within a fund are bought and sold by the managers. Portfolio turnover is calculated by taking either the total amount of new securities purchased or the number of securities sold (whichever is less) over a particular period, divided by the total net asset value (NAV) of the fund. The measurement is usually reported for a 12-month time period.

Ian Cassel writes that he believes there is an over-glorification of buy and hold investing among active managers. With the rise of private equity and venture capital, everyone is trying to invest in public markets with the same permanent capital mantra. The lower the turnover, the more cerebral and thoughtful you appear to be with initial investment decisions. Nothing looks better than being right from the very beginning. More often than not, low turnover is shown as a badge of honour. Many investors feel great pride and joy being a loyal shareholder of a company. It feels good to say you’ve held a company for 5-10-20 years. But in reality, what really matters is performance.

A big part of what made many investors great was spotting when they were wrong quicker. Successful stock picking isn’t just picking winners. It also means picking out the losers in your portfolio. The greatest advantage in public markets is “You can sell”. But you have to know when to sell.

We normally sell a position for three main reasons: Sell when the story changes for the worse; Sell when we find something better; Sell when a company gets very overvalued.

Investors aren’t going to be right all the time. Acknowledging this fact isn’t a justification for not doing upfront due diligence. What we do acknowledge is that we are willing to accept a degree of uncertainty for the sake of speed – getting in early. Often, an opportunity is an opportunity because the conditions aren’t perfect yet. The price of certainty can be expensive as it relates to discovery and valuation. When we find a business that aligns with what we like – speed is more important than certainty.

Our initial due diligence might get us into a position, but it is our maintenance due diligence that will keep us invested and/or save us from big losses. Our future returns are based on our ability to course correct and adapt to new information. We are going to have turnover because turnover is the price of progress.

Sometimes when you sell you have gained and sometimes you have losses. Cassel says he learned a long time ago to not let small losses bother him. A big part of being a successful investor is your ability to admit when you are wrong on a company while not letting it crush your confidence and slow you down.

Michael Batnik writes to debunk something that is probably common in a lot of people’s minds. An advisor cannot beat the market any more than you can. If you find an advisor who happens to deliver higher returns once adjusting for risk, then consider yourself lucky. But if that’s your expectation going into a new relationship, then sooner or later you’re going to be disappointed. So if you can’t beat the market and neither can an advisor, then why even bother? Because an advisor can tell you the most important thing. Am I going to be okay? Can I live the type of life I want to live? That’s it. That’s the job.

If you’re not sure you’re ready to have this question answered, below is an incomplete list of ways to know when the time is right.

When You Made A Big Mistake: You know you need to take your hand off the steering wheel when you can no longer be trusted to get to your destination. Past behaviour is the best indicator of future behaviour. We can learn from mistakes, but you pretty much are who you are. If you panicked last time and convinced yourself you’re going to be fine next time, you’re probably not being honest with yourself.

When you’re worried about your spouse: If you handle the finances in your household and are worried that your spouse would be unprepared to deal them in your absence, it’s probably a good idea to find an advisor. Even if you’re not ready to relinquish control, it makes sense to find somebody that your spouse can turn to in the event of your death.

When you’re tired of it: If you trade stocks long enough, you’ll realize at some point that despite the time, energy, and anxiety of it all, you would have done just as well if not better in an index fund. And if you’re sick and tired of checking prices during the day, of reading headlines at night, and of wondering what the election might mean for your portfolio, then you’re probably ready to hand over the keys.

When you don’t have the time for it: If you work long hours and come home to a family that needs your time and attention, the last thing you want to be doing is stressing out about which fund to buy. Or when is the best time to rebalance? When your life is being pulled in a million different directions, then it might make sense to reach out to a financial advisor.

When the stakes have gotten real: If you’re a young person with an Rs5,000 portfolio, a mistake like panicking in a bear market is something that you can recover from. If you’re older with more money and less time to replenish that lost money, it’s harder to come back from that.

When you feel paralyzed: If you’ve been meaning to sell your underperforming stocks but just can’t pull the trigger, or you’ve been waiting for the right time to put the cash to work, you could probably stand to consult with somebody. If nothing else, taking the emotions out of the equation will force you to finally take action.

When you want to get specific about your goals: If you want to buy a second home in ten years and retire in 20, an advisor can tell you whether or not this is possible. Of course, nobody has a crystal ball, but an advisor’s job is to let you know if it’s possible, or break it to you that you’re not even close.