The Myth of the Right Moment:
Nobody knows when the right moment is, not even the experts
There's a widespread belief that finance professionals somehow know exactly when to invest and when to hold back.
The numbers tell a different story. Over the long run, more than 80% of fund managers fail to outperform the very market indices they're trying to beat.
That's especially striking given the resources at their disposal: teams of analysts, sophisticated tools, and constant access to the markets.
To date, no method has proven capable of consistently identifying the ideal moment to invest. If the best-equipped professionals in the world can't pull it off reliably, waiting for the "perfect" conditions isn't likely to work as a strategy for anyone else either.
Not deciding is also a decision
Inaction isn't a neutral stance.
Every month spent waiting is a month during which your money isn't working for you. One euro invested in the MSCI World index in 1990 is worth roughly 17 euros today, despite economic crises, market crashes, and recessions along the way.
Waiting doesn't eliminate risk. It simply trades one risk for another: the risk of missing years of potential growth.
Why do we really wait?
Fear of an irreversible mistake:
Most investors aren't primarily trying to maximize their returns. What they're really trying to do is avoid regretting their decision.
According to an analysis published by Vanguard in April 2026, someone who invested right before each of the last 30 years' major market crashes would still have turned €45,000 into €155,580. Even getting the timing wrong every single time, simply staying invested over the long run was enough to produce a strongly positive result.
The real irreversible mistake isn't investing at the wrong moment. The real mistake is putting the decision off.
The need for certainty in a world that doesn't offer it
Many people wait for the markets to settle down before they start investing.
The problem is simple: that moment never actually comes.
There will always be an election, a geopolitical crisis, a looming recession, or some new economic worry. Uncertainty isn't an exception in financial markets, it's part of how they normally function.
Waiting for it to disappear means waiting indefinitely.
The information paradox
We now have access to more financial information than ever before.
Yet that abundance of information doesn't necessarily make decisions easier.
Every expert has their own analysis. Every forecast is contradicted by another. Some predict a rebound while others predict an imminent downturn.There will always be an election, a geopolitical crisis, a looming recession, or some new economic worry. Uncertainty isn't an exception in financial markets, it's part of how they normally function.
Without a clear method, gathering more information usually creates more confusion than clarity.
What the Data Actually Shows About Timing:
The real cost of waiting
The best-performing days in the stock market typically happen during periods of high volatility.
Investors who step out of the market to wait for calmer days risk missing exactly those rebounds. A handful of exceptional days can account for a significant share of a portfolio's total return over several decades.
Five years of waiting might not seem like much today. Over a horizon of twenty or thirty years, though, it can add up to a substantial difference.
Investing regularly instead of chasing the right moment
There's a simple alternative to market timing: investing progressively, also known as Dollar-Cost Averaging (DCA).
The idea is to invest a fixed amount at regular intervals, regardless of how the markets are moving. When markets drop, that fixed amount buys more shares; when they rise, the investments already made gain value.
This method doesn't try to predict the future. It simply allows you to invest with discipline and consistency.
It's the approach used by many investors who gradually build a portfolio of diversified ETFs. If you'd like to understand what ETFs are and why they're so widely used in long-term investment strategies, check out our article "What Is an ETF?".
How to Break Out of Waiting Mode?
Start small, but start
You don't need a large amount of capital to get going.
The hard part isn't finding an amount to invest, it can be minimal. The hard part is actually taking action.
Investing 100 CHF today is already enough to build a habit and start benefiting from the most valuable factor in investing: time.
Build a framework instead of waiting for perfect conditions
The right moment isn't hiding somewhere in the economic news.
It's built through a clear strategy: defining your goals, your investment horizon, how much you can save, and the level of risk you're comfortable with.
Once that framework exists, decisions become simpler. They depend less on the headlines and more on your own personal situation.
That's exactly the purpose of AdvisorOne Academy's Foundations Path: helping everyone build solid fundamentals before making major financial decisions.
Conclusion
The right moment to invest isn't a date marked on a calendar.
Markets will always carry some uncertainty. There will always be a reason to wait just a few more weeks or months.
The one thing no one can ever get back is the time already spent not investing.
Everything else can be adjusted.
Time can't.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you invest when markets are unstable?
Yes. Markets regularly go through periods of volatility. Over the long term, investment duration and diversification have historically mattered more to outcomes than the conditions at the moment of purchase.
Is it better to invest a lump sum
or gradually?
Investing gradually reduces how much timing matters. This approach helps smooth out the purchase price over time and can feel more comfortable psychologically for many investors.
What is DCA?
DCA (Dollar-Cost Averaging) means investing a fixed amount at regular intervals. This method lets you invest without trying to predict market movements and supports a sustainable investing discipline.
How do you invest without waiting for the right moment?
The best approach is usually to define a clear strategy and then apply it consistently. Waiting for perfect conditions often ends up delaying decisions for months, or even years.
Is it risky to start investing today?
As with any investment, there's a risk of capital loss. That said, staying out of the markets entirely also comes at a cost, in lost time and lost long-term growth opportunities.Comme tout investissement, il existe un risque de perte en capital. Cependant, rester constamment à l'écart des marchés peut également avoir un coût en faisant perdre du temps et des opportunités de croissance à long terme.Commencez à écrire ici ...