Here are a few tips:

• Don't be a "bull market genius": Long-sustained rallies in stock prices can be detrimental to your financial health. Investors can get the impression that it's their investing prowess, their ability to sort through the array of investments available and pick out the winners, that's responsible for the gains they're racking up. But the markets have been kind off-late after the financial crisis and it is a result of that. Do not fall for the illusion that you're in control when it comes to the markets. You can always decide how much to put in stocks vs. bonds.
• Don't load up on your portfolio: New investors have a tendency to load-up on every new investment options available in the market. It does not create a well-balanced portfolio. When it comes to investing your retirement savings, simpler is better. The more you keep adding investments to your portfolio in the name of diversification.
• Focus on fees instead of returns: The more control you exercise over how much you pay for investments, the larger corpus you're likely to end up with in retirement. It is better to stick to low-cost index funds.
• Ignore others: Investment pundits, strategists and analysts are all experts but will only distract you from your goals. Everyone will have their opinion but don't let that distract you from your investment strategy that you so meticulously have created and are earning from. Once you've built a mix of low-cost stock and bond index funds that mirrors your goals and tolerance for risk, it makes sense to stick to it. Continue following your tried and tested strategy and ignore the experts.

If you keep these four strategies in mind, they can prepare you well for any kind of market; smooth or rough.

HDFC Life offers various saving and investment schemes that allow your funds to grow while covering your financial goals at all times.

ARN: EC/06/2017/9792