Laziness is not a desirable trait, at least when it comes to most things outside of the world of investing. Indeed, I’d argue that laziness, especially for beginning investors, could be the way to go, as one goes about their normal lives instead of constantly checking in on their portfolio, overreacting to seemingly every uptick or downtick in any given day or week. Indeed, sometimes tuning out and not checking one’s stocks for a few days or even a month (or more, if you can help it) can be a good thing, especially once market volatility is back in the driver’s seat or the bear market rears its ugly head.
Arguably, it’s also best to play the long game when the market is in full-on bull market mode, as it is right now. Indeed, it’ll be tempting to time one’s exits at a market top. But the thing is, getting out at a top could mean missing out on higher highs and selling right in the midst of the sixth inning of a nine-inning ballgame, or worse, selling in the second or third inning. Undoubtedly, when stocks feel toppy and we have so many smart people fearful of all the swift gains, it can feel pretty silly to put new money into stocks or even hang on.
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Lazy investors can do quite well with a buy-and-hold approach
While caution, I believe, is always justified, I think most investors would be better off sitting on their hands, rather than seeking to trade into or out of the market on a near-term basis. In this piece, we’ll focus on the laziest investor of all, a true long-term investor who couldn’t care less about the day-to-day market action and is more focused on investing through the decades.
These investors can set sights on great companies and stash shares away in a TFSA for a ridiculously long time. And because their time horizons are so extended, the risk factor goes down significantly. Of course, you need more than a long-term horizon; you also need the temperament and perhaps a bit of laziness so that you don’t get active enough to make moves based on emotion.
CIBC stock stands out in this climate
At this juncture, I think a name like CIBC (TSX:CM) is worthy of a semi-permanent spot in a TFSA. The Canadian bank has been soaring lately, now up 120% in two years. Of course, it’s not going to repeat the same explosive rally in the next two years (or it’s highly unlikely), but I do view the dividend (3.4% yield) and its growth profile as rock-solid enough to stash the name away for many decades at a time.
Indeed, if you got impatient with the name prior to the latest two-year run, you missed out on a more than doubling in shares. And while things are looking up for the banks, I do believe that expectations are still relatively mild, with CM shares going for 13.8 times trailing price-to-earnings (P/E) at the time of this writing.
At the end of the day, CIBC has excellent managers who are just starting to get the respect from Bay Street. Though shares will eventually hit a road bump, I see no reason to rush a sale just because the stock is at new highs. It’s a winner that’s now valued at more than $105 billion, and one that I think could have what it takes to outrun its Big Six peers.
