Take the guesswork out of deciding when to invest. When you invest a set amount of money at regular intervals over an extended period of time – regardless of what the market is doing – you are practicing an investment strategy known as dollar-cost averaging. With dollar-cost averaging, you're always invested and always investing. And since you invest the same amount of money each time, your money automatically buys more shares when prices are low and fewer shares when prices are high.
Dollar-cost averaging does not assure a profit and does not protect against loss in declining markets. This type of plan involves continuous investment in securities regardless of fluctuating price levels, so you should consider your financial ability to continue your purchases through periods of both high and low price levels.