into the market, the better. The trend is now to purchase a condominium in your 20s and then use that equity towards your home, once you're married. SLOW ECONOMY, SLOWER RETURNS: Slow economic growth has many investors in panic mode about their stock portfolios. The fact is that economic growth and stock returns are NOT correlated. It's simply a myth. THE SIXTY/FORTY: Believe it or not, but the average return on a portfolio that contains 60% stocks and 40% bonds was a mere 4% between 1900 and 2010. This type of portfolio balance ignores the fact that stocks and bonds ARE positively correlated in all but a stable economic growth environment. THE MARKET IS UNPREDICTABLE: Plenty of investors time the market and actually make good money in doing so. As with any profession, the secret is to learn as much as you can about the trade you want to make and never put the work on the back burner. Track annual recurring events and uncover whether or not they will be positive for the company. Focus your research on technical, fundamental and seasonal areas. HIGH RISK, HIGH RETURNS: This age-old investment advice simply isn't true, and has been confirmed by numerous studies. What's persistent is that low-risk stocks actually have higher expected returns. It is persistent and extends to all equity markets in the world. No risk = No reward = NOT TRUE. How remarkable is that? It simply contradicts the core of finance.