Don't Wait for the Right Time, Mutual Funds Teach Investment Discipline

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Many people want to start investing, but they often hold back due to one thing: waiting for the right time. When prices fall, they fear losses. When prices rise, they feel they have missed out. In reality, the truly “right” time is often never clear.

Amid this situation, mutual funds offer a simpler approach. It is not about guessing when to enter, but about starting and remaining consistent.

Chairwoman of the Presidium of the Indonesian Mutual Fund Players Association (APRDI), Lolita Liliana, stated that investors do not need to wait for a specific momentum. “If we wait for the best time, we never know when that will be. Therefore, it is better to do it periodically,” she said during the APRDI Mutual Fund Socialisation and Education event 2026 at the Seminar Room, Tower 2, 1st Floor, IDX Jakarta, on Monday (20/4/2026).

For some people, a market downturn is often interpreted as a signal to postpone. However, such movements are actually part of a normal cycle. Head of the Investment Management and Capital Market Supervision Department Regional Financial Services Authority, M Maulana, exemplified that the market index once fell by around 19 percent at the beginning of the year. Yet, at the same time, mutual fund assets under management continued to grow.

“This means investors are starting to realise that when prices fall and the fundamentals are good, it becomes an opportunity to buy,” he explained.

This habit is now being encouraged. One of them is through the PINTAR mutual fund programme (Planned and Periodic Investment Programme). Through this scheme, investors can deposit funds routinely, not necessarily large amounts, as long as they are consistent. It can be monthly, weekly, or even daily. In this way, the purchase price becomes more averaged. Investors do not need to worry about finding the lowest or highest points.

“With periodic investment, we do not need to guess the market,” said Lolita.

For beginners, the initial step does not have to be aggressive right away. One commonly used option is money market mutual funds, which are placed in short-term instruments such as deposits and bonds. Their movements are relatively more stable compared to other types, although they still carry risks. Therefore, this product often serves as a starting point for those who still want to try without the pressure of significant fluctuations.