A picture is worth a thousand words "The stock market is a device for transferring money from the impatient to the patient." Warren Buffett Patience is important in life and in building a retirement fund. Most investors are not patient so most investors will not have enough. In fact, the average investor earns only 3.69% (vs total market of 11.11%) annually according to DALBAR's annual Qualitative Analysis of Investor Behavior. Mr Buffett's strategy of patience earns 19.7% compounded (earn interest on interest) over time. He does not buy and sell-he owns the stocks of companies for a long time. Most investors jump from one successful stock or mutual fund to another. Each time they do this, they are basically paying at the higher price AFTER the security has proved successful. Each time they are disappointed and then sell at a lower price. Every buy and sell transaction costs them a commission or fee, reducing their gains even more. They earn 3.69% while Buffett earns 19.7%. Buffett's strategy means we must leave our money alone so it can grow. It means there is no need to do a thing to reach our goals. Once we establish our stock portfolio or mutual funds, we do nothing to stop the growth of our account. We patiently let the market provide our wealth. Buffett has been patient for over 40 years and has grown his initial investment of $6,000 (from paper routes) to $65 billion. You don't need to do a thing to grow your money in the stock market. As Buffett has said: We continue to make more money when snoring than when active. berkshirehathaway.com/letters/1996