I was fortunate enough to have been a financial advisor in my former career. Why do I say fortunate? Because all those years of working with and listening to my clients has given me a passion for understanding what motivates people, how they invest and why so many of us “get in our own way” when it comes to making the right choices.
The men and women who came to me for guidance were also some of my best teachers. Whether it was inertia, a lack of confidence or too much confidence, what I saw over and over was that people often let emotions or unexamined patterns of behavior take them in the wrong direction, even if they rationally know the right thing to do. (My colleague Nelli Oster has written a lot about this all-too human tendency.) In my experience, being a successful investor starts with understanding what drives you, specifically, and using that knowledge to move toward your goals.
In other words, all investing is personal.
That’s exactly what I’ll be writing about in these posts. Expect to see practical information and insights covering a wide range of topics – from small steps that keep your plan on track to how to avoid the traps of outdated thinking. My goal is simple: to make you a better investor.
Let me start the conversation by sharing a few observations, and the lessons you might take away from them.