Look past ‘fog of uncertainty’ when investing

In Europe, the financial crisis drags on. China’s economic growth has slowed from “wow” to “ho-hum.” Here at home, we’ve seen heated political debates over taxes, spending and deficit reduction. Taken together, these factors have created a “fog of uncertainty” that has left many investors in the dark about their next moves. But is this “fog” really impenetrable — or can you, as an individual investor, see through it to a place of clarity?

To do so, you first need to realize that while the events mentioned above are certainly not insignificant, they also aren’t the key determinants of investors...