14. Never Do Today That Which You Can Do Tomorrow: The Inertia Bias

Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.

—W. Rogers

Chuck Randall was a smart guy. He had a Ph.D. in business and was a professor at a major state university. When he saw his retirement funds drop 20 percent between September and October 2008, he realized the market could go a lot lower. He thought he probably should get out of stocks, but that October turned to November and the months went by. By March 2009, Chuck hadn’t sold a single share, but his procrastination had cost him dearly. Between September 2008 and March 2009, his portfolio had lost 54 percent of its value.

Look back at Chapter 8, “Do You Procrastinate?” Are you a procrastinator? ...

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