Why holding on may be harder than finding the right investment

Foresight published an opinion piece built around two lines drawn from an early interview with Lin Yuan: “Use a fully invested position to guard against missing out, and use stock selection to guard against declines.” The article argues that the hardest part of investing is often not identifying an opportunity, but staying in position long enough to catch the small window when returns are actually made. According to the piece, a given asset may spend only 5% or less of its life in a true sharp rally, while 90% or more of the time it either moves sideways or falls. If an investor misses that brief stretch, and the asset does not pay cash dividends, the most meaningful portion of the return may be gone. The author says that for investors who do not rely on technical analysis, the practical answer is not repeated timing attempts but staying invested. The article also reframes Lin Yuan’s “fully invested” idea as holding only money one can afford to lose and building exposure gradually through a fixed investment plan. On drawdowns, it says the key defense is choosing a valuable asset before buying rather than trying to sell on a perceived decline. The piece cites Buffett, Munger and Duan Yongping on tolerating 50% drops, and ends with a standard disclaimer that the text is not investment advice.