Over the last year or so I've been studying the investing habits of everyday millionaire investors. The study is part of my newest book project, Eight Steps To Seven Figures, which is expected to be released in March 2000. One of the things I'm finding is that millionaire investors are successful in large part because they keep their money in the market, "in play," so to speak.

The biggest success factor in your portfolio is time and the rate of return you earn on your investments. How well you maximize the power of time in an investment program will have a huge bearing on your success as an individual investor. That's why successful investors keep as much of their money in play.

How do you keep your money in play?

	Start as soon as possible. You can't have money in play unless
	you start investing. And the sooner you start, the better
	Invest regularly. If having a little money in play is good, having a lot
	of money in play is great. That's why it's important to invest regularly, regardless of how small the investment. I prefer to invest at least once a month.
	Avoid market timing. Since 1926, the stock market, on
	average, has risen two out of every three years. Anytime you pull money out of the market - perhaps in an attempt to market time - you are bucking a strong long-term trend. While you may get lucky a time or two, you won't be able to call market turns consistently over time. At some point, you will be sitting on the sidelines when the market explodes, and you'll never be able to catch up. Smart investors know that keeping their money in play is the best way to build wealth since you maximize the power of time. For that reason, they refuse to market time.
	Focus on investments that will keep you in the game. One thing
	I learned from themillionaire investors I studied is that you don't need to own the latest "hot stock" in order to get rich. Most of the investors I surveyed made their money off of steady, blue-chip investments that they held for five years or more. Remember that risk and return are joined at the hip. When you try to shoot for big expected returns, you assume big risks. And chances are, if you're constantly buying highly speculative stocks, more often than not you'll be on the losing end. When you lose, your money is no longer in the game. Sometimes the solid, steady, unglamorous stocks are the way to go for long-term returns. At least these companies are typically around for a long time. That's what you want -- companies in which your money will stay in the game.