Tom Dyson

From Tom Dyson, publisher, Palm Beach Research Group: It’s the most important lesson in all of investing…

It’s how hedge fund manager George Soros delivered an average annual return of 30% per year for nearly 40 years.

Mutual fund pioneer John Templeton posted 14% average annual returns for 50 years using this philosophy.

Julian Robertson posted the best hedge fund performance during the ’80s and ’90s—with 32% annual returns—by applying it to his portfolio.

I’m talking about position sizing.

Position sizing is about not overinvesting. You’ve been told your whole life not to put all your eggs in one basket. This also applies to investing—yet it is widely ignored.

Soros didn’t make 30% per year for four decades by being right every time.

His “win rate” was around 60%. Same with Robertson.

  We’re six years into this bull market. The S&P 500 is up 214% since March 2009. Almost all stocks are up.

Howard Marks, in his book, The Most Important Thing, states that investors’ mindsets become clouded in a bull market—thinking their success is due to their superior stock-picking abilities over the bull market itself.

It’s a recipe for disaster. Appropriate position sizing prevents you from falling prey to your own overconfidence.

Your stock-picking ability may be as good as (or even better than) Robertson or Soros.

But if you’re overinvested, one bad investment can crater your entire portfolio’s performance.

Soros succinctly describes position sizing in what may be the most important trading advice ever:

It’s not whether you’re right or wrong that’s important, but how much money you make when you’re right and how much you lose when you’re wrong.

This lesson is the pillar of investing success. Practicing it will put you ahead of 99% of investors. And it will allow you to sleep well at night.

Mark summarized everything you need to know about this vital investing concept in the August 2013 issue of Creating Wealth. All paid subscribers can click here to review it now.