Long-term investing is simply investing for the long term through the practice of buying and holding investments. It is not speculating on the short term price movement of various investments with the purpose of selling quickly. At the least, “long term” would imply holding an asset for greater than one year - the minimum period required to qualify for a lower tax rate on any capital gains created from the investment. However, while a general “long-term” investment could be 1-5 years in duration, many look to invest for even longer periods of time.