> Low-cost index funds don't protect you from ill timed trades. Nothing can protect you from ill timed trades. However, trades can only be ill timed if they a

> Low-cost index funds don't protect you from ill timed trades. Nothing can protect you from ill timed trades. However, trades can only be ill timed if they are made. If you just pick an index fund with an appropriate time horizon for your planned retirement and then leave it alone, you don't have to worry about ill timed trades because you aren't making any trades at all.