Ever since the election a couple of weeks ago, it seems like everyone has an opinion on the economy and the stock market. Everything from a recession to a tremendous, booming economy is on the table, depending on who you listen to. In fact, if you have your own opinion on the subject I have no doubt that you can find numerous recent articles from investment experts that will support that opinion.

However, all of the opinions in the world aren’t going to make it true. Could you imagine if things worked that way? If we could get enough of us to predict a snowy November, we could have beautiful powder skiing for Thanksgiving! If only it were that easy in real life.

In real life, all of the opinions out there shouldn’t lead us to change our portfolios. The balance of the evidence from 100+ years of research suggests that investors will tend to do the best when they build strong, diversified portfolios and stay invested for the long run. People who try to time their way in and out of the market, or by rotating through different sectors of the market, will–on average–miss out on returns. If you know someone who has timed those things and has had success, then you know someone in the minority. There’s just no evidence that it can be done in an intentional, meaningful way.

The election result will bring changes. We will likely see changes in investor confidence, interest rates, inflation, and taxes due to the outcome. Whether those changes will be good or bad is not my place to guess, nor will I venture to guess where the markets will be in 1 year or in 4 years. But what I will say—and I’ve said this before—is that the markets will go up, on average, regardless of which party controls the Presidency or the other branches of Government. It’s a generally good assumption to make on January 1st of any year that the market will probably finish higher than it started, since that has historically been the case over 70% of the time.

Depending on what you wanted out of this election, resist the urge to panic or be overly exuberant with your investments. On average, over longer periods of time the markets has always gone up. If you’re not convinced that your investment portfolio is as strong or appropriate as it should be, reach out to a financial advisor to get an outside assessment.

How ever you are feeling about the recent election, invest smartly and invest well!

Larry Sidney is a Zephyr Cove-based Investment Advisor Representative. Information is found at https://palisadeinvestments.com/ or by calling 775-299-4600 x702. This is not a solicitation to buy or sell securities. Clients may hold positions mentioned in this article. Past Performance does not guarantee future results. Consult your financial advisor before purchasing any security.