AS THE LAZY DAYS OF summer tick by, investors can’t afford to be lazy when it comes to portfolio management. While market activity in terms of seasonality may hit a lull, it’s still important to stay on top of investments during the summer months.

“It’s natural to expect the markets to slow down and possibly become choppier in the summer; that’s where the phrase, ‘sell in May and go away,’ comes from,” says Todd Baker, co-founder of Legacy Capital Planners in Germantown, Maryland.

Specifically, there are two broad trends that can happen over the summer season, says Grant Engelbart, senior portfolio manager and director of research at CLS Investments. The first is the trend that trading volumes decline and the second is that equity market returns are comparatively slower than other seasons such as winter to spring.