We all have our styles, our way of doing things. Sure, the circumstances of our generations affect our choices – Gen Y, for instance, does not like financial products due to coming of age during the worst of the recent financial crises – but those are generalisations.
In the end, each person makes their own decisions and has their style. This is true even for the investment game. All investors, from the experienced Master of the Universe to the beginner who barely knows what he’s doing, tackle the game in their way.
Certain behaviours come to fore often enough that they can categorise people. These investing styles are generalisations, but they can help shed light on why you make the choices you do.
You might be an independent investor.
This style is usually seen in the more experienced, or the more confident. They tend to display lots of confidence in their management skills, have a mix of investments, and are looking to cover as many variables as they can.
Independent investors usually deliver earnings appropriate to the degree of risk they take. They also have more time and resources to adjust their portfolio regularly.
Some folks are collaborative investors.
These people want to have a say in overall strategic choices but are more willing to listen to advisers and experts. They don’t want to monitor the market all the time, which means they prefer having a partner handle that element in their place.
Many collaborative investors prefer working online. They are also more open to discussion on what can be done and what is available.
On the opposite end from the independent is the delegator.
People of this style choose to work with others, particularly financial advisors. However, it goes beyond mere advice. For a delegating investor, the choices on what investments to make or adjustments to execute are made by the expert. They have little to no interest in doing it themselves.
Delegating does not mean uninvolved, though. They still want to be kept updated, usually with quarterly and annual reports. However, they don’t bother with the minutia that an independent investor would dive right into.