32. A Message from Fidelity

And what does my broker, Fidelity, has to say about the market turmoil? That the stock market goes up and down, but you should stick with your strategy? That panic reactions rarely improve results? That the stock market is a huge distraction? That checking your stocks more than once a year (as Buffet suggests) is a folly?

Of course not. They're making money from trades. So this is what they have to say (my highlights):

Market volatility update

Dear David Meiri,  

The market volatility we've seen in recent weeks can make it very difficult to set, adjust, or maintain your investment strategies despite your best efforts to pay careful attention to the movement of the markets and its impact on your portfolio. While none of us can control the financial and economic environments, it is critically important to us that we provide you with the information, insight, and capabilities to help you be best positioned based on your investment strategies.

In other words: Fidelity encourages me to check my portfolio often, look at the markets moving up or down, and react - sell after a crash, buy after the stocks go up, and along the way, feel I "do something", while the reality is that I'll be wrecking havoc in my finances.

No thanks!