Evolutionary Investing
Our hard wiring through evolution has resulted in a short circuit that makes us more apt to risk losing money if we start worrying about not earning it. The majority of investors are busy worrying about their missed opportunities.
Reflection is important but attention should be focused on the purchases that were mistakes rather than the non-purchases that we regret. Mistakes are costly and the missed opportunities do not affect us but to be there as a reminder that we chose the wrong investments.
A useful analogy might be found in a book (more than a decade old) called Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins. This science writer, evolutionary biologist and provocateur talks about strategies that are available to the animals with high metabolisms, such as small birds, that has the need to find food often in order to stay alive. Imagine that the bird is flying around seeking its prey and is surrounded by twigs that may hold some cleverly camouflaged caterpillars. If the bird got close and examined the twig a moment it may be able to distinguish between twig and caterpillar quite readily.
But, this is problematic for the bird as it cannot examine each of the numerous twigs lest it starve while looking for its first meal. It needs to take a faster approach, scan rapidly at a more cursory level even if it means missing out on many caterpillars. Finding the right balance between a deep scan and one that is more cursory but still effective is important. Too cursory will mean that the bird never finds anything and starves; to detailed and the bird may find too few and starve.
This is the same thing we must do as investors. If we waste time on a twig, we?ll never find a caterpillar; and we really can't afford to think about all those missed caterpillars. An optimal investment strategy will be profitable while leaving a number of the good opportunities untouched. Birds don?t fret over their missed caterpillars and neither should you.
Investing is a tricky thing to master. Get some great advice and investment tips from a leading expert and hedge fund manager, Andrew Baxter. - 23208
Reflection is important but attention should be focused on the purchases that were mistakes rather than the non-purchases that we regret. Mistakes are costly and the missed opportunities do not affect us but to be there as a reminder that we chose the wrong investments.
A useful analogy might be found in a book (more than a decade old) called Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins. This science writer, evolutionary biologist and provocateur talks about strategies that are available to the animals with high metabolisms, such as small birds, that has the need to find food often in order to stay alive. Imagine that the bird is flying around seeking its prey and is surrounded by twigs that may hold some cleverly camouflaged caterpillars. If the bird got close and examined the twig a moment it may be able to distinguish between twig and caterpillar quite readily.
But, this is problematic for the bird as it cannot examine each of the numerous twigs lest it starve while looking for its first meal. It needs to take a faster approach, scan rapidly at a more cursory level even if it means missing out on many caterpillars. Finding the right balance between a deep scan and one that is more cursory but still effective is important. Too cursory will mean that the bird never finds anything and starves; to detailed and the bird may find too few and starve.
This is the same thing we must do as investors. If we waste time on a twig, we?ll never find a caterpillar; and we really can't afford to think about all those missed caterpillars. An optimal investment strategy will be profitable while leaving a number of the good opportunities untouched. Birds don?t fret over their missed caterpillars and neither should you.
Investing is a tricky thing to master. Get some great advice and investment tips from a leading expert and hedge fund manager, Andrew Baxter. - 23208
posted by X - Men @ 2:59 AM
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