In keeping with the American culture of productivity, many people think that the more they do, the better their results will be. But with investing, that is not always the case.

"Over the last decade, most people hurt themselves by trading," and would have "been much better off if they had just left their money alone" once it was invested in stock and bond funds, said The New York Times , citing a study by financial services company MorningStar. On average, the "actual returns of fund investors were significantly less than the posted market returns, a discrepancy explained by poor trading decisions," like buying when the market is high and selling when prices are low.

That said, there may also be risks to setting and forgetting your portfolio entirely. Here's how to navigate less-act

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