Opinion: Here’s what really matters with stocks, real estate and other investments

Stock prices often swing wildly month to month, day to day, even minute to minute. It’s natural to think that the way to make money in the stock market is to time these ups and downs — to buy low, sell high, and repeat.

Alas, it is far easier to identify ups and downs in the past than to predict them in the future. Study after study has confirmed how hard it is to time the market. Even worse, this focus on zigs and zags in prices lures many into investing in Beanie Babies, NFTs, and other foolish collectibles, hoping to sell…