Think of your biggest investing success. Maybe it was a mega-sized company whose stock you bought when it was just a startup. There are many reasons why a particular trade might be your most successful, but when asked, investors identify one factor above all others. In a recent client survey conducted by Charles Schwab, 33% of investors attributed their greatest investing success to patience through volatility. As for the biggest culprits behind investors' worst trades: lack of research (20%), bad timing (18%) and high risk (13%).

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Persons: Charles Schwab, Mark Riepe, Spenser Liszt Organizations: Schwab Center, Financial Research, Motif, Fidelity