Sir John Templeton's 16 Rules For Investment Success

1. Invest for maximum total real return
2. Invest – don’t trade or speculate
3. Remain flexible and open minded about types of investments
4. Buy low
5. When buying stocks, search for bargains among quality stocks
6. Buy value, not market trends or the economic outlook 
7. Diversify. In stocks and bonds, as in much else, there is safety in numbers
8. Do your homework or hire wise experts to help you
9. Aggressively monitor your investments
10. Don’t panic
11. Learn from your mistakes
12. Begin with a prayer
13. Outperforming the market is a difficult task
14. An investor who has all the answers doesn't even understand all the questions
15. There’s no free lunch
16. Do not be fearful or negative too often

For commentary about each point click here