Know your risk tolerance Each of us has a personal level of risk tolerance, which indicates how much risk one is willing to take while investing in markets that always go up and down. Your advisor can help you establish your own unique governing guideline.

Know your investment time frame You may want to save for your child’s education, your retirement, a vehicle, or a home down payment. Each of these projects takes a certain amount of time, which is a component you apply to your calculations and potential future value with tax considerations and/or registered government tax programs such as the RESP, RRSP, or TFSA.

Re-evaluate and rebalance It is important to monitor, re-evaluate, and balance an investment portfolio. When you consider how your assets performed, you will also need to consider market and political situations that may be occurring. Some assets may have returns that are greater than their benchmarks; others may not.

Rethinking with credentialed experts While rebalancing your portfolio, it is wise to review, reassess and re-establish new or original asset allocations when discussing investment options with your advisor. When you are rebalancing assets, be cautious of any tax consequences for selling early or buying and selling too often.

Develop your investment plan An investment plan will provide a road map to help you attain your investment goals while not getting you off track due to analysis paralysis.

Refrain from becoming a lemming Beware of blindly following the investment crowd or chasing last year’s stock or fund winners. Past performance is not an indicator of future gains while investing in securities or equity funds that invest in stocks and/or bonds.