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View Poll Results: Rank yourself as an investor
Above average investor 89 37.55%
Average but will be improving in the future, I hope 24 10.13%
Average and not likely to change 89 37.55%
Below average 20 8.44%
Terrible and recognize I need help 4 1.69%
Just terrible and have no clue going forward 3 1.27%
Other 8 3.38%
Voters: 237. You may not vote on this poll

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POLL: How do you rank yourself as an investor?
Old 09-23-2023, 09:54 AM   #1
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POLL: How do you rank yourself as an investor?

Go ahead but be honest.
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Old 09-23-2023, 09:55 AM   #2
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Buying equities = Terrible

Buying fixed income = Genius
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Old 09-23-2023, 10:10 AM   #3
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I voted Below Average. Because the only thing I knew was to save/invest in market/real-estate and hold pat. It has taken me a long way and my method has done well, but as an active buyer/seller/trader and fine-tuning investor I was not.

My confidence was in buying than hold/compounding/stead growth which is a lazy easy way and well below average for being a good investor. I consider a good investor the be active and making the most out of every opportunity the markets offer.
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Old 09-23-2023, 10:11 AM   #4
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Above average compared with most, below average compared with many here for whom investing seems like a full-time occupation. Improving because because of all I'm learning here.
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Old 09-23-2023, 10:13 AM   #5
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I put myself above average, but it really depends on the type of investment:

Securities: Average, mostly funds managed by advisor
Angel Investing: Terrible, if you see me investing in a start-up, run the other way
Small Business: Average, no home runs, but no major losses either, good tax write-offs
Private Equity: Not bad, the one time I took that oppty did alright
Real Estate: Ahhhh.... now we're talkin my language, well above average, enough to more than make up for lackluster performance in the other categories
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Old 09-23-2023, 10:14 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by street View Post
I voted Below Average. Because the only thing I knew was to save/invest in market/real-estate and hold pat. It has taken me a long way and my method has done well, but as an active buyer/seller/trader and fine-tuning investor I was not.

My confidence was in buying than hold/compounding/stead growth which is a lazy easy way and well below average for being a good investor. I consider a good investor the be active and making the most out of every opportunity the markets offer.
Maybe you are being too modest? Sounds like you know yourself and your limits which ranks very important as an investor.
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Old 09-23-2023, 10:16 AM   #7
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I voted average. I'm a Boglehead. By definition that means I'm always average. Oddly enough, in investing circles that means I'm above average.
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Old 09-23-2023, 10:26 AM   #8
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Don't invest in stocks, just CDs etc. So I put "Other".
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Old 09-23-2023, 10:31 AM   #9
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I stumbled into this forum around 2005 when I first RE'd. Until then, we had left all our finances to accountants and investment planners. I didn't know a dividend from an expense ratio at the time and was too busy--and making too much money-- to care.

Thanks almost entirely to this forum and the collective wisdom here, I now consider myself better than average vs the general public--but voted average vs those in this forum.

Of course, one needs to be interested enough in investing to take the time to learn, but back in the early days, I decided that my new 'job' was to figure it all out and find a way to keep body and soul together for the next 30 years.

I have to say that I've done pretty well, but wouldn't have done so without the help and patience of this group.

(Still not sure when was the best time to take SS though)

Side note: a buddy makes close to a million a year; the other day he asked me what a mutual fund was. sigh.....
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Old 09-23-2023, 10:34 AM   #10
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I think most people are broke and clueless so I rated myself above average. But I think that’s a pretty low bar.
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Old 09-23-2023, 11:08 AM   #11
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I think it depends.

Compared to the average person, I think I am above average, having FIREd at 49.

Compared to this forum, I'm average at best.
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Old 09-23-2023, 11:09 AM   #12
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Originally Posted by disneysteve View Post
I think most people are broke and clueless so I rated myself above average. But I think that’s a pretty low bar.
Yeah, it really depends on who I'm comparing myself to. I am way above average in comparison to the general public, but I am pretty average (I think) in comparison to the folks around here.
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Old 09-23-2023, 11:13 AM   #13
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Pretty much a lifelong S&P/Total Market indexer, so average in that respect. Having the discipline to stay the course and not go bananas when the market goes nuts, I think maybe just a little above average in that regard.
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Old 09-23-2023, 11:17 AM   #14
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Terrible and I need help. My self managed IRA returns for the past 7 years are about 4.5%. MIL's through an FA are about twice that. So I transferred my $ to the FA.
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Old 09-23-2023, 11:23 AM   #15
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I would guess Average, but improving, thanks to all of the wisdom here on the forum.

The majority of life prior to retirement was just on auto pilot, plugging along.
I learned alot from my Dad about the importance of saving and investing, along with stocks, bonds, SS, and how our pensions would fit in, among other financial life topics, including stocks go up and down and not to panic! Invest for the long term.
I do have faith in, and use, a trusted FA also.
But the nuances of AA, rebalancing, etc I have learned just prior and after retirement from bolgleheads forum and here from all of you. So, Thank You!
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Old 09-23-2023, 11:24 AM   #16
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(Still not sure when was the best time to take SS though)
After spending a bit more time here it will be come perfectly clear. : )
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Old 09-23-2023, 11:25 AM   #17
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I voted below average. Have always been a much better saver than investor.
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Old 09-23-2023, 11:33 AM   #18
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Above average

Only rate myself that today because I finally learned from the hard lessons of my first 20 years of investing.
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Old 09-23-2023, 11:48 AM   #19
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Above average, comparing myself to the general population. I think the vast majority of us here are above average.

When comparing to the folks on this forum, I’d say average and trying to improve.
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Old 09-23-2023, 11:53 AM   #20
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Above average in the mainstream, probably average here.

Even though I am average here I don't know anyone personally who is a better investor, most of my friends are pretty clueless. They either use a FA and presumably pay through the nose, or they're almost fully SIRE - meaning they live within their means dictated by what their pensions and Soc Sec provide. Even during my MegaCorp days when I knew quite a few execs/C-suiters very well, they relied on expensive FA's (often referred by each other) - and they were all shocked when I retired at 57 yo.
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