The secret to making money from buy shares and investing in bonds was summed up by the late father of value investing. "The real money in investing will have to be made – as most of it has been in the past – not out of buying and selling, but out of owning and holding securities, receiving interest and dividends, and benefiting from their long-term increase in value." To be more specific, as an investor in common stocks you need to focus on total return and make a decision to invest for the long-term, which means at an absolute minimum, expecting to hold each new position for five years provided you've selected well-run companies with strong finances and a history of shareholder-friendly management practices.