Confusing Volatility With Risk - A Costly Investment Mistake

Confusing volatility and risk could cost you a bundle. Let’s take a look at returns on an investment of $1000 over 50 years from 1958-2007 in five asset classes.

• Small cap value: $3,750,000
• Small cap growth: $1,380,000
• Large cap value: $854,000
• Large cap growth: $130,000
• CD: $13,800

Isn’t it obvious which is the best long-term investment?

Why small cap value is the best long-term investment

So you don’t have a 50-year investment horizon? Few of us do. How about a ten-year horizon? In any ten-year period from 1958 to 2007, small cap value had much better investment results than a “safe” CD. (See Table below. Green = best result in the given ten years; red = worst.)

Table: How much would a $1 investment become?

Safety paradox

Even though a FDIC guaranteed CD is perceived to be safe, over time, inflation eats away at returns. For the long-term investor - and by that we mean you - small cap value is less risky.

Why do few investors put their long-term money in small cap value? And, when the going gets rough, why do many small-cap-value investors switch their money to CDs?

Here’s why, small cap value is highly volatile (See last row of Table) and volatility makes us anxious and jumbles our judgments.

“Volatility does not measure risk.” -Warren Buffet

Volatility becomes risk only when the investor can’t stand it anymore, and abandons an otherwise safe long-term investment. Typically, volatility is highest and its impact most painful when the market reaches bottom. Not surprisingly, many investors bail out at the worst possible time.

Upon learning that he had to sail by the Sirens - the creatures whose beautiful songs could lure him to jump to his death - Odysseus asked his sailors to tie him to a mast. What mast do you tie yourself to? I suggest you subscribe to The Investment Scientist newsletter, where you don’t get up-to-the-minute news, but a monthly dosage of scientific facts.

Comments

[hattryx]

damn you warren buffett. giving the chinese our investment secrets. i'm on this bandwagon, though.

[dectra]

Smart money invest WITH Buffet.

[Conservative NW patriot]

With all due respect to Mr. Buffet, small cap value investing is not his main theme. Value is his theme. This is pure French and Fama material aka Dimensional Fund Advisors.

[Whisper On The Wind]

I like the small cap value stocks. I have some investments in the stable stocks and funds, but those aren't nearly as much fun. It's the small cap values that make me head to the charts to see how much money I've made today... and grin!

[pravchaw]

Good case for small cap value ETF. Hold it and snooze.

[TPoise]

I disagree on Small-Cap Growth versus Small-Cap value. Compare VBR (Value ETF) versus VBK (Growth). VBK outperforms.

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