Practical experience has shown that a number of investors will actually stop/suspend their regular savings plan during times of crisis. This is what happened last year.

Whilst unit trusts are not the best when it comes to bang for the buck, i believe if somebody invests a regular amount monthly via giro over the years, he should be doing ok now. But this is my guess, I have not done it.

The problem isn’t as bad if investors stay invested all the time.

The problem with average investors is that they tend to get in when markets have run up a lot and then sell at a panic when things are bad.

Agreed market timing is hard if not impossible. The next best approach is to have a disciplined approach with regular investments. In theory it sounds simple but in practice, it is hard to follow through.

However I do think for the average investor being fully invested all the time is still better than trying to time the mkt, I believe most if not all average investors will get their timing wrong, and end up with a disastrous negative return.