Timing into the market can be one of the harder stock making decisions an investor can have. It is important to remember that when we are selecting stocks we should be picking for the long term mainly selecting companies that will continue to pay an ongoing dividend yield.

The buying in process becomes somewhat risky when you may decide to buy in at a point where investors have over bought the stock and it gets sold down from the price it was purchased at. This can be avoided through a process of dollar cost averaging whereby you can time into the market over a period investing a certain amount in one month then further investments are made down in following months.

What you should be looking at when purchasing is the ability this stock has over the long term and whether it meets certain criteria

• A long term company not likely to go under

• Capable of sustaining a dividend yield for the investor.

• Capable of some growth in stock price

Some tips for buying in at the right time might be to purchase right after a stock pays investors and the stocks then go ex-dividend meaning you won't receive this dividend when you purchase it. Stocks usually get sold off at this point as they are worth less without this payment and it can be a good time to get in. Another would be when bad news breaks for the sector your stock is from and it may not really play a big part in your company however market sentiment drives the price down.

Remember as a main point! Buy as if you are buying forever and don't let outside influences curb your decision once its made its made.

Hold for the long term and reap the dividends!