Investment Philosophy

• Investment philosophy is the set of core principles and beliefs that guide your investment decisions and market approach.
• Value and growth investing are two commonly used investment philosophies, while contrarian, socially responsible, income, and momentum investing are also popular.
• Your investment philosophy should depend on your goals, investment timelines, and risk tolerance levels.

An investment philosophy is a set of principles that guide and shape an investor’s approach to investing. It is a framework that determines your approach to the market as well as selecting and managing your investment decisions. In simple words, investment philosophy is a blueprint that helps investors make informed investment decisions that align perfectly with their investment goals, time horizon, return expectations, and risk tolerance levels.

Your investment philosophy acts as a concrete framework to help you navigate the market and make investment decisions. Delineating your investment philosophy is essential for consistent and disciplined investments that help you move towards achieving your goals. Investment philosophies can range from value investing, where you look to bet on undervalued stocks, to growth investing, where you bet on companies with a high potential for future growth.

Investment philosophies vary from one investor to the next based on factors like risk appetite, investment horizon, and goals. For instance, investors with a low-risk appetite and capital preservation goal may adopt an income-focused approach and invest in fixed-income assets over volatile equities. Similarly, investors seeking high returns over a long-term horizon for a distant goal like retirement may pick a growth investing strategy. Additionally, the investor’s belief about the market’s efficiency, asset class knowledge, views on industry performance, and economic conditions impact their investment philosophies.

Adopting a personalised investment philosophy is crucial for investors as it offers you a structured approach to investing. Without a philosophy in place, you may be more prone to making emotionally charged, impulsive decisions, jeopardising long-term gains. In other words, by sticking to a definite philosophy, you will be able to weather short-term market fluctuations better. It also fosters a disciplined investment approach to help you achieve your goals more methodically.

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A few popular investment philosophies are listed below:

Growth investing

Growth investing is a popular investment philosophy where investors buy stocks of companies demonstrating a strong future growth potential. Growth investors look for companies with an above-average growth rate, high revenue, EPS, and EBITDA. The assumption is that this high revenue and profit growth will continue in the future, ensuring significant returns. While growth companies may be established market leaders, they are usually emerging sectors and industries with cutting-edge technologies.

Value investing

Value investing is focused on identifying underpriced stocks with strong fundamentals. Value investors believe that the market often misprices securities due to negative news without accurately evaluating the fundamentals of the company. They buy the stock at a lower price than its intrinsic value with an expectation of future price rise once the market realises this mismatch. Low debt, consistent earnings, and strong financials are key metrics used by value investors to identify such stocks.

Contrarian investing

As the name suggests, contrarian investing is essentially betting against the prevailing market trend. Contrarian investors believe that markets often overreact, creating unique opportunities. Therefore, such investors sell when others are buying and buy when others are selling. They believe the asset prices tend to revert to their long-term average over time. This investment philosophy requires a diligent understanding of market sentiments to identify periods of extreme pessimism or optimism.

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Socially responsible investing

Also known as ethical investing, socially responsible investing focuses on not just the financial returns from the investment but also the social and environmental impact of the investment. Socially responsible investors pick companies that align with their values like companies with good governance, a wide-reaching CSR programme, or those with strong environmental practices. This strategy aims to foster the positive social and environmental outcomes of the investment.

Income investing

As evident from the name, this investment philosophy prioritises a consistent and steady income flow from investments through dividends or interest payments. Typically, income investors park their funds in income-generating assets like dividend-yielding stocks, bonds, or REITs. The income-focused philosophy is favoured by risk-averse conservative investors, usually retirees or those nearing retirement who favour income over capital appreciation.

Momentum investing

Momentum investing is a type of investment philosophy where investors buy securities that are rising and sell those that are falling. Momentum investors believe that market trends tend to persist and seek to capitalise on their momentum. In other words, stocks that have performed well in the past will continue to perform well in the near future due to investor and market sentiments. While this strategy carries the possibility of good returns by capitalising on market trends, it also runs the risk of sudden trend reversals and losses.

You can understand these investment philosophies better by reviewing how well-known investors implement them:

Warren Buffet

Arguably one of the most well-known investors of all time, Warren Buffet is a celebrated value investor. Buffet’s philosophy is focused on identifying businesses with solid management, predictable earnings, and durable competitive advantage. As a value investor, Buffet buys and holds stocks that he believes are trading below their intrinsic value. Operating with a long-term perspective, Buffet prioritises discipline and patience instead of giving way to market trends.

George Soros

Renowned philanthropist and investor, George Soros’s investment philosophy is rooted in the theory of reflexivity, which states that investors make decisions based on their perceptions of reality rather than reality itself. As a result, there is a self-fulfilling loop in the market where the traders’ views affect the principles of economic activity, which, in turn, impacts traders’ perceptions. Soros’s investment strategy focuses on capitalising on market inefficiencies. He is primarily known for his bold contrarian bets, like the famous British pound shorting in 1992 that earned him over $1 billion in profit.

Thomas Rowe Price Jr.

Often called the father of growth investing, Thomas Rowe Price Jr. followed a strategy of investing in the early growth stages of a company, primarily focusing on fundamental research. Price placed importance on selecting companies with innovative products and strong management on the basis of proprietary research. His investment philosophy was based on the belief that a strong stock could outperform market trends and offer substantial returns over time. 

Determining your investment philosophy requires a comprehensive review of the following factors:

Financial goals

Your financial goals are the pillars of your investment philosophy. Whether you wish to save for retirement, fund your child’s education, or purchase a home determines how you wish to allocate funds. Similarly, your investment philosophy can change depending on whether you want to accumulate wealth over time or simply earn a regular income. In conclusion, clear, specific, and measurable goals help guide your investment decisions.

Risk appetite

Risk appetite is your ability to withstand market fluctuations and volatility in the value of your investments. Risk tolerance levels depend on your age, budget, investment experience, and personality. You may be a conservative investor who prefers decent returns with minimum risks or a high-risk investor seeking high returns. Ideally, a well-defined investment philosophy should reflect your risk appetite, guiding the asset selection process and your trading strategies.

Investment horizon

Investment horizon refers to the length of time you plan to hold the investment before redeeming your funds. Time horizons can be short-term (1-3 years) or long-term (over 5 years). Generally, a long-term investment horizon allows for a more aggressive investment strategy as market fluctuations tend to even out over time. Shorter horizons may warrant a more conservative approach due to the need for capital preservation.

Degree of involvement

Apart from all these factors, you must also evaluate if you wish to manage your investments actively or take a passive approach. In other words, you must ascertain your degree of involvement. If you prefer a hands-on approach, an active management strategy may be best, where you can individually select stocks and consistently monitor the market. However, if you prefer a passive approach, index funds and ETFs may be the better choice. Remember, the decision between active and passive management also depends on your financial knowledge and expertise.

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A well-rounded investment philosophy is crucial for making informed investment decisions. Having a definite investment philosophy in place can provide clarity and discipline to the investing process, reducing the chances of reacting impulsively to market fluctuations. Evaluating factors like your financial goals, risk appetite, time horizon, and expertise levels can help you distil your own investment philosophy. Sticking to your investment philosophy can yield better long-term returns than investing without a core strategy.