The First Step in Dollar Cost Averaging

The very first step in planning to use the dollar cost averaging strategy is determining how much you can realistically afford to invest over an extended period of time. This is very important because the strategy will not reduce risk of loss effectively unless the investment amount is consistent. You will not insulate yourself against losses as effectively when a large initial investment is made and then followed by increasingly smaller amounts. In such a scenario, the gap between the average stock price and current market value will be larger and the risk for loss greater.