The Idle Investor: How to Invest 5 Minutes a Week and Beat the Professionals

The Idle Investor offers a simple, low-risk investing system that beats market indexes and fund manager performance over the long term with only a few minutes of time each month. It includes three DIY strategies for long-term investing, all using easily accessible, low-cost funds. The strategies are explained clearly, with numerous worked examples, and can be achieved by even the laziest investor.

The three strategies are:

1.The Bone Idle Strategy allocates a portion of a portfolio to shares and bonds, with adjustments only required twice a year.
2.The Summer Hibernation Strategy allocates a portion of the year to shares and bonds, with adjustments only required twice a year.
3.The Multi-Asset Trending Strategy uses a simple trend-following method to determine portfolio allocation, requiring monthly adjustments.

Idle Investor is a simple investing method that allows investors to maintain their portfolio without taking action. The strategy involves checking and making simple changes twice a year for strategies 1 and 2, and once a month for strategy 3. The activity levels vary from yearly rebalancing to monthly reallocation. Tests from 1990 to 2012 showed average annual returns of up to 28%, compared to 8.5% for a buy-and-hold approach. This straightforward approach allows investors to focus on their lives while their money grows.