Investment opportunities exist all around the globe, but the results of global stock returns seems almost random, and even purported positive news for countries do not always correlate to good investment performance.

The lure of successful trading strategies is seductive, and looking at your portfolio shrink in value during a market downturn can be painful. But many times investors seeking to circumvent the pain or trying to get a leg up in their investments by temporarily shifting away from their long-term strategy will end up trading one source of anguish for another.

Wherever you are in your investing journey, at some point you’ll likely ask yourself some of the questions below. Listening to friends, family or the financial media is not the best way to get the right answers.