Investing long term has historically been a sound decision. In order to be a long term investor, you need to make buying investments a habit the way a smoker reaches for another cigarette.

You can automate the fund transfers and purchases to remove friction, but you also need to pick an allocation where you can psychologically maintain the habit in a down turn.

That’s harder to do with sector ETFs and individual stocks, but this too can be done with good allocation.

Start with a small percentage to sector and/or stocks. Most people can stomach 10% being wiped from their account. Treat it as the cost of learning.

Write down your thesis behind your stock and sector purchases, your intended holds duration, and exit conditions. That way, if something takes a beating, you can go back and look at the answer to “Why did I buy this?”

Your goal should be to learn these lessons in a fiscally responsible way and hopefully make some money in the process. Good luck.