Investing in stocks can be rewarding but also risky in the short term as prices fluctuate. Financial advisors typically recommend taking a long term view of 5-10 years as research shows the longer you remain invested, the greater the chances are of making a profit. Looking back over 10 years, analysis found investing in UK and international stocks for 1 year would have resulted in losses over 20% of the time, but losses drop to under 2% for UK and 4% for international over 10 years. Therefore, putting time on your side works to reduce risk. It's still recommended to seek advice from a financial advisor to help achieve long term goals.