The Free Financial Advisor

You are here: Home / Archives for behavior

7 Personality Clues That Predict Divorce Before It Happens

by Leave a Comment

divorce

Image source: shutterstock.com

People develop their relationship patterns over time rather than showing them right away when they meet. The patterns develop gradually through time until they create ongoing conflicts, which indicate divorce will occur before anyone uses the word. Stress reveals the true nature of seemingly harmless personality traits, which develop into specific patterns. The established patterns create new communication methods that simultaneously break down trust between parties and their partnership connections. The established patterns create a new form that reshapes their connection. Knowing divorce warning signs helps people detect them before a divorce occurs.

1. Chronic Defensiveness

Defensiveness signals an unwillingness to accept responsibility, and it often appears early. A partner who immediately pushes back, reframes blame, or shuts down criticism builds a barrier that makes honest conversation feel risky. The issue is more than irritation during arguments. It becomes a pattern of self-protection at the cost of connection.

Over time, the defensive partner becomes harder to reach. The other partner begins to filter words, soften concerns, or avoid topics altogether. That silence is corrosive, and the relationship loses the ability to address real problems. Chronic defensiveness can predict divorce long before the anger surfaces because it erodes trust at its foundation.

2. Controlling Communication

Some people manage fear or insecurity by controlling conversations. They interrupt, redirect, or speak over the other person. They may frame every disagreement as a misunderstanding caused by someone else’s tone or timing. None of this resolves the conflict. It simply shifts power toward the person who wants to dominate the exchange.

When communication is controlled, the relationship ceases to function as a partnership. The quieter partner adapts, sometimes without noticing how much ground they have given up. The imbalance builds resentment and distance. It becomes another clear signal that can predict divorce long before the relationship hits a breaking point.

3. Emotional Withholding

Emotional withholding is subtle. It shows up in small decisions: refusing to share feelings, avoiding empathy, or staying distant during stressful moments. The partner may insist everything is fine, but the silence carries weight. People can live beside each other but feel miles apart.

Withholding often reflects discomfort with vulnerability, and it can be mistaken for independence. But the absence of emotional connection becomes a vacuum. The other partner ends up carrying the weight of intimacy alone. That imbalance strains the relationship and feeds a loneliness that slowly reduces commitment.

4. A Need to Always Be Right

Some partners operate under a personal rule: winning matters more than resolving. They correct everything. They argue minor points. They escalate small mistakes into moral judgments. And with every exchange, the message becomes clear—there is no room for shared truth, only their truth.

This drive to be right drains the relationship of energy and patience. The other partner may stop arguing because it feels pointless. That withdrawal creates silence, and in that silence, resentment grows. A dynamic built around one person’s certainty becomes brittle. It breaks under stress because it leaves no room for compromise.

5. Avoidance of Conflict

Conflict avoidance seems peaceful until it’s not. Some people fear arguments so deeply that they sidestep hard conversations altogether. They shut down topics, rush to reassurance, or insist the issue is too minor to address. The relationship appears calm, but the unresolved problems remain beneath the surface.

Over months and years, avoidance creates distance. Important issues never get resolved. Patterns continue. And the partner who wants clarity starts to feel invisible. This is another personality pattern that tends to predict divorce, not through fighting but through the absence of honest engagement.

6. Impulsive Decision-Making

Impulsiveness can energize a relationship at first. Spontaneous trips, last-minute plans, surprising choices—these moments can feel exciting. But when impulsiveness governs major decisions, it becomes destabilizing. A partner who changes careers on a whim, makes sudden financial moves, or reverses commitments puts the entire household on uneven ground.

The unpredictability creates stress. The other partner may feel like they’re always catching up or cleaning up. Over time, impulsiveness becomes less charming and more exhausting. It signals a deeper pattern of acting without considering consequences, a trait that frequently shapes outcomes that predict divorce.

7. Persistent Negativity

A consistently negative outlook reshapes the emotional climate of a home. It turns small challenges into catastrophes and neutral events into threats. The negativity can come through sarcasm, pessimism, or criticism. And once the tone becomes habitual, the relationship absorbs it.

Living with persistent negativity wears down patience and optimism. It also changes how partners interpret each other’s intentions. Even kind gestures get filtered through doubt. Negativity doesn’t need to be dramatic to cause damage. It’s the steady drip that leads to erosion.

When Personality Becomes a Pattern

Personality traits begin by modifying social relationships through minor adjustments, which then lead to major changes. The combination of multiple personality traits creates a particular pattern that enables accurate divorce prediction with high precision. The path to success requires us to detect changes early, because habits become permanent and communication breaks down after that point.

Most relationships end because of ongoing behavioral habits that push partners away, rather than because of single disagreements or short-term relationship challenges. The breakdown of relationships occurs when patterns develop that push partners apart. People can better understand their future direction through early detection of these patterns.

Which of these signs have you seen affect relationships?

What to Read Next…

10 Secret Rituals Hidden Inside the World’s Strangest Cults

by Leave a Comment

ritual

Image source: shutterstock.com

The world’s most unusual cults conduct their rituals in secret locations that remain invisible to outside observers. The secret rituals of these groups exist behind locked doors because members use cryptic language to share only limited information. The evaluation of their practices reveals distinct patterns. Groups use rituals as their primary tools to foster member commitment, guide actions, and establish common identities among members. Knowledge of these rituals is significant because group secrecy enables their power structure to function. The loss of secrecy makes it difficult for them to influence others’ decisions.

1. Midnight Oaths Carried Out in Silence

Some of the strangest cults rely on a silent ritual designed to sever ties with outside life. Recruits gather after dark, stand in a circle, and recite vows that bind them to the group. The words change from group to group, but the intent stays constant: isolate the individual, then reshape them. The hush of the ritual becomes a weapon. Breaking the silence signals betrayal.

2. Purification Through Controlled Sleep Deprivation

Sleep loss takes the edge off critical thinking. Many groups use it without naming it. Members stay awake through long chants, rotating watch duties, or constant movement. Leaders frame the exhaustion as a cleansing of mental clutter. But the real impact comes later, when the tired mind clings to whatever authority remains. It’s a ritual built on vulnerability.

3. Food Restrictions Framed as Higher Purpose

Restrictive diets appear across the world’s strangest cults. Followers fast for long stretches or live on narrow menus—roots, soups, or a single staple. The deprivation creates a sense of achievement. It also weakens the body just enough to lower resistance. These food rituals often become a quiet test of submission that members don’t label as control.

4. Symbolic Burnings That Mark a New Identity

Some groups burn objects that represent past lives. A photograph, a letter, a piece of clothing. The fire becomes a ceremonial line between the old self and the new one. The ritual doesn’t end with the flames. Leaders often require members to share the meaning behind what they burned, pushing them to rewrite their own histories.

5. Chant Cycles Timed to Induce Trance

Repetition works. Many of the strangest cults structure chants around steady rhythms that run for hours. Members fall into sync, breathing as one, moving as one. The chant becomes a physical experience rather than a verbal one. That shift opens the door to powerful group pressure. When the trance hits, resistance breaks.

6. Isolation Rooms Presented as Spiritual Retreats

Isolation gets framed as reflection, but the effect is sharper. Members step into small rooms or tents with little light and few stimuli. They’re told they’re searching for clarity. What actually happens is a slow erosion of time, grounding, and emotional steadiness. Leaders collect whatever insights emerge and use them to steer behavior.

7. Hierarchy Marking Through Assigned Uniforms

Clothing becomes a coded language. Uniforms change as members climb through ranks. The system looks simple, but it shapes daily life. Members start reading status in hems and colors. They adjust their behavior based on who stands above or below them. In many of the world’s strangest cults, the uniform ritual binds people more effectively than rules.

8. Confession Circles That Pressure Compliance

Confession rituals appear in different forms. Some groups ask for daily admissions. Others gather weekly. But the pattern stays the same: share personal details, often uncomfortable or embarrassing ones. Leaders store this information and use it to maintain control. The ritual feels cleansing at first. Later, it becomes leverage.

9. Pilgrimage Walks Done Barefoot or in Silence

Many groups assign long walks meant to represent progress, sacrifice, or rebirth. Some require silence. Others require bare feet on rough ground. These journeys create shared hardship, which bonds members quickly. The walk becomes a story they repeat to themselves, reinforcing their commitment without realizing how the ritual shapes their sense of belonging.

10. Light-and-Dark Ceremonies Used to Trigger Emotional Swings

Some rituals rely on rapid shifts between darkness and bright light. Members sit in enclosed rooms while candles, lamps, or windows open and close in timed patterns. The shifts unsettle the senses. They create a mix of fear, relief, and anticipation. Leaders then guide the emotional peak toward loyalty. It’s manipulation masked as enlightenment.

The Grip of Ritual on Human Behavior

Rituals work because they tap into basic human instincts that help people create social bonds, establish identity, find purpose, and overcome fear. Throughout history, people have established new rituals that formed an internal defense mechanism against external threats. The same pattern appears throughout all the world’s most unusual cults. The fundamental activities of these organizations become apparent after eliminating their concealed operations. People establish control areas by dismissing their personal doubts.

What ritual surprised you most, and why?

What to Read Next…

6 Tells That Give Away Expert Liars Instantly

by Leave a Comment

liars

Image source: shutterstock.com

Spotting expert liars feels like chasing shadows. They rehearse stories, manage their expressions, and adjust their tone to sound credible. But even the most controlled performance leaks signs that something is off. Those signs are small, but they stack up fast once you know what to watch for. Understanding these slips matters because financial decisions, personal safety, and workplace trust often hinge on accurately reading someone.

1. Controlled Stillness

Expert liars rely on controlled stillness to project confidence. The body freezes in place as if movement might expose their story. It’s the kind of calm that feels staged, not natural. People telling the truth rarely hold themselves that tightly because they aren’t monitoring every gesture.

This stiffness contrasts sharply with their effort to appear relaxed. Shoulders drop a little too slowly. Hands rest just a little too perfectly. The quiet becomes its own signal. When expert liars work this hard to contain normal behavior, they create an unnatural stillness that stands out more than they intend.

2. Overly Polished Details

Expert liars love details, but the wrong kind. They give polished, neatly ordered descriptions that sound prepared. Real memories rarely come out that clean. They include pauses, corrections, and minor inconsistencies.

When a story lands fully formed, with no hesitation, the smoothness becomes its own red flag. The liar uses specifics to sound truthful, but the details lack the texture of lived experience. And when pressed, these rehearsed pieces often repeat in the exact same wording, as if pulled from a script.

3. Mismatched Timing

Timing exposes expert liars more than emotion. Their reactions lag by a heartbeat. A smile appears after words that should have triggered it. Concern shows up just a touch too late. The delay is subtle, but the body struggles to sync genuine expression with a fabricated narrative.

This mismatch shows up in dialogue, too. They answer questions quickly when the topic is safe, but hesitate just long enough when the subject threatens the lie. The hesitation doesn’t always mean guilt, but it often signals someone editing reality before speaking.

4. Excessive Justification

Expert liars lean on justification because it creates the illusion of transparency. They add explanations no one asked for. They frame their actions in reasons before any doubt is raised. The preemptive defense comes off as unnatural because honest people usually explain only when prompted.

This tendency grows stronger when money, credibility, or status is at stake. Instead of a straightforward answer, they provide a narrative. Instead of a simple yes or no, they expand. The weight of their words reveals the pressure of maintaining the lie.

5. Shifts in Vocal Tone

The voice betrays tension faster than the face. Expert liars try to keep their tone steady, but subtle shifts emerge when the story tightens. The pitch rises. Sentences shorten. A rehearsed rhythm breaks for a moment, and the change cracks the performance.

Even skilled liars can’t fully control the throat muscles that tense when stress hits. That tension produces a thinness in the voice that doesn’t match the confidence they try to project. The contrast between their message and tone becomes one of the clearest tells that expert liars can’t suppress.

6. Strategic Eye Contact

Eye contact is where expert liars overcorrect. They hold it too long, as if trying to prove their innocence through sheer focus. Or they deploy it in bursts, using intentional moments of connection to sell specific sentences.

The pattern feels strategic rather than natural. Truthful eye contact shifts without thought, responding to emotion and memory. The liar’s version looks deliberate. And when they break that contact, the drop is often sharp, not fluid. Their eyes retreat as their mind recalculates the next line in the story.

The Power of Recognizing These Patterns

Expert liars cannot hide their true nature because their body language reveals their deception. The human body shows signs of stress when someone attempts to conceal lies by appearing calm. A single indicator by itself does not prove anything, but multiple indicators create a recognizable pattern that becomes difficult to dismiss. The ability to identify these patterns enables us to protect ourselves in negotiations, relationships, and financial transactions, as trust is the determining factor.

Reading people does not require distrustful behavior to function. It’s about clarity. Multiple signals lead us through critical situations because truth functions as our primary navigation tool.

What particular actions do you notice when someone presents an untrustworthy narrative?

What to Read Next…

8 Personality Traits That Expose Chronic Liars Instantly

by Leave a Comment

liar

Image source: shutterstock.com

People who lie occasionally do so, but chronic liars develop deception into a regular part of their behavior. People who lie chronically damage all their relationships through their ability to distort reality and create false narratives. Early identification of these individuals enables you to prevent both their emotional suffering and financial losses. Your ability to defend yourself and maintain mental serenity depends on understanding what motivates these people. People who chronically lie will exhibit deceptive behavior through their actions, even when they attempt to appear honest, according to the eight personality traits.

1. Inconsistent Storytelling

The most obvious sign of chronic liars is their inability to keep stories straight. They change small details without noticing—times, places, even who was there. These inconsistencies build up, and eventually, their web of lies collapses under its own weight. A single question can unravel their version of events.

People who lie frequently often rely on improvisation. They talk fast, hoping the flow of words distracts you from the gaps. When you ask for specifics, they may become defensive or irritated. Over time, the inconsistencies reveal a clear pattern of chronic lying.

2. Excessive Defensiveness

Chronic liars rarely handle scrutiny well. Even simple questions can trigger an exaggerated reaction. They might accuse you of mistrusting them or flip the conversation to make you feel guilty. This emotional overreaction is often a way to avoid being caught in a lie.

Defensiveness also serves as a shield. By creating tension, they discourage others from asking follow-up questions. It’s a subtle but powerful tactic that helps them maintain control of the narrative.

3. Lack of Eye Contact or Overcompensation

Eye behavior gives away more than people think. Chronic liars either avoid eye contact altogether or hold it for too long in an unnatural way. Both behaviors signal discomfort and an effort to manage perception.

When someone lies often, they become hyper-aware of how they appear. They might stare intensely, thinking it makes them seem honest, or look away because guilt surfaces subconsciously. Neither extreme feels natural, and that tension is a clear sign of deception.

4. Grandiose Self-Image

Many chronic liars present themselves as heroes in every story. Their accomplishments sound inflated, their experiences larger than life. They crave admiration and validation, often exaggerating to maintain a sense of superiority.

This trait overlaps with narcissism, where self-image matters more than truth. They manipulate reality to fit the narrative they want others to believe. Eventually, their need for praise exposes the lies beneath the surface. You start to sense that nothing about their stories feels grounded in reality.

5. Shifting Blame

When caught, chronic liars rarely take responsibility. They blame misunderstandings, other people, or vague circumstances. Admitting fault would mean admitting dishonesty, and that’s something they almost never do.

This behavior keeps them emotionally safe but damages everyone around them. Over time, people close to them begin to feel gaslighted—questioning their own memory or judgment. It’s a destructive pattern that can erode trust in families, friendships, and workplaces.

6. Emotional Detachment

Chronic liars often seem disconnected from their own emotions. It’s not that they don’t feel; they’ve just trained themselves to suppress genuine reactions. Lying becomes easier when you don’t feel the emotional weight of it.

This detachment can make them appear calm under pressure, but it’s a hollow calm. Their emotional flatness is a defense mechanism that keeps guilt at bay. Over time, they lose touch with authenticity, making every interaction feel slightly off.

7. Compulsive Need for Control

Control is everything for chronic liars. They manipulate conversations, relationships, and even small details to keep the upper hand. The truth threatens that control because it exposes vulnerability.

They might use charm, guilt, or intimidation to steer situations their way. When they sense they’re losing control, they double down on deception. It’s not about the lie itself—it’s about maintaining dominance. That constant need for control keeps them trapped in a cycle of dishonesty.

8. Poor Long-Term Relationships

Eventually, chronic liars run out of people willing to believe them. Friends drift away, colleagues stop trusting them, and family members grow distant. Lies might win short-term sympathy, but they destroy the foundation of long-term bonds.

Even when they claim to value loyalty, their actions show otherwise. They sabotage trust for temporary gain. Once exposed, rebuilding credibility becomes nearly impossible. Their social circle shrinks, leaving them isolated and defensive.

Reading the Patterns That Reveal Chronic Liars

The identification of chronic liars requires more than detecting individual deceptive acts, as it necessitates ongoing observation of deceptive patterns. The same problem exists when someone shares conflicting accounts while using emotional manipulation to dominate others. Your ability to identify these characteristics will help you defend your resources against individuals who seek to exploit you deceitfully.

Chronic liar behavior patterns allow professionals to recognize deceptive actions that occur in their professional environment. Financial advisors must identify clients who conceal their debt while presenting misleading financial reports about their income. Organizations need to detect deception at its onset because this practice prevents major problems from developing into future issues. Research into deception and personality development suggests that individuals who frequently lie tend to build this behavior throughout their lives, including in their financial decisions.

Your ability to recognize warning signs will lead to improved self-awareness. People who lie constantly use deception to maintain control while avoiding reality. The discovery of these characteristics in someone you know or in yourself indicates that you should take a moment to evaluate your situation. The journey to authentic honesty starts by acknowledging challenging facts. Research on behavioral finance and trust-related issues, conducted through psychological studies of the effects of honesty on decision-making, will yield additional results.

Have you ever spotted these traits in someone before they were exposed as a chronic liar?

What to Read Next…

The Tell-Tale Signs: Decoding 13 Subtle Behaviors of Expert Liars

by Leave a Comment

a woman with long nose

123rf

In a world brimming with misinformation and half-truths, understanding the nuanced behaviors of seasoned liars can be a crucial skill. 

Whether navigating high-stakes business negotiations, personal relationships, or social interactions, recognizing these subtle cues can help you stay one step ahead. 

This article unpacks thirteen less obvious signs that someone might not be entirely truthful, providing you with the tools to decode deceit.

1. The Chameleon Effect

social chameleon

123rf

Expert liars are often social chameleons; they possess the uncanny ability to blend into diverse social settings by mirroring the behaviors, speech patterns, and even body language of those around them.

This adaptability can be disarming, fostering a false sense of camaraderie and trust. Pay attention to how someone might shift their persona depending on their audience.

2. Over-Preparation

gossiping women

123rf

When someone is lying, they may cover their tracks with excessive details. These narratives often sound rehearsed and can overwhelm the listener with unnecessary specifics. 

This tactic bolsters the liar’s credibility—watch for stories that feel too polished or answers that come quickly.

3. Strategic Silence

strategic silence

123rf

Conversely, some adept liars use strategic silence to avoid lying outright. They may pause unusually long before responding or divert questions to steer the conversation away from sensitive topics. 

This type of evasion is a red flag, especially in responses to straightforward questions where honesty typically requires no such hesitation.

4. Emotional Masking

emotional masking

123rf

Expert liars can mask their real emotions with practiced ease. They might display emotions that don’t match the context of the conversation, or their emotional responses might seem delayed as if they’re an afterthought. Genuine emotions are typically spontaneous and appropriate to the situation.

5. Minimalist Body Language

minimal body language

123rf

While many believe liars fidget or avoid eye contact, seasoned liars can control their body language to an unnerving degree. 

They may become unusually still, minimizing body movements to avoid betraying their deceit. This over-controlled body language can sometimes appear too calm or collected under pressure.

6. Contradictory Cues

contradictory cues

DALL-E

Watch for discrepancies between verbal and non-verbal cues. A liar might say they’re happy while displaying a furrowed brow or clenched fists. 

These contradictions between what they say and what their body language shows can be a significant indicator of dishonesty.

7. Touching the Face

touching the face

123rf

Touching one’s face, especially around the mouth, nose, or ears, can be a subconscious attempt to block deceitful words from being spoken. While not a definitive sign of lying, it can suggest discomfort with the truth when observed alongside other suspicious behaviors.

8. Excessive Rationalization

overly explanation

123rf

Liars often provide more justification for their actions than necessary, offering a litany of reasons why something might be true or false. This over-explanation can be a tactic to convince the listener and themselves of the lie’s validity.

9. Changing the Subject Quickly

quickly changing the subject

DALL-E

Expert liars are adept at changing the conversation’s direction to avoid lying or revealing too much. They might introduce a new topic abruptly or respond to questions with unrelated answers. 

This tactic can derail the flow of conversation and distract from any inconsistencies in their story.

10. Inconsistent Timing

inconsistent timing

123rf

Inconsistencies in timing, such as mixing up when events occurred or how long something lasted, can be subtle yet telling signs of dishonesty. A clear timeline is often hard to manipulate when fabricating stories.

11. Avoiding Direct Statements

avoiding direct statements

123rf

Instead of lying outright, a proficient liar might use ambiguous language or make statements that can be interpreted in various ways. This vagueness is intended to avoid commitment to a lie while still misleading the listener.

12. Overcompensating

overcompensating

123rf

Sometimes, to seem truthful, liars will go to great lengths to appear overly honest or open. This might include volunteering too much information or insisting on their honesty without being prompted, which can seem overly defensive.

13. Frequent Position Shifting

position shifting

123rf

Physical discomfort can manifest as frequent changes in posture or position. If someone seems unable to sit still, constantly adjusting their seating or standing position, it might be a sign of the mental strain of keeping up a lie.

Uncover the Truth Beneath the Lies

uncovering the lies

123rf

Recognizing these subtle behaviors can help you navigate complex social interactions more efficiently. While no single behavior is definitive proof of deceit, a pattern of these signs can suggest that you might not be getting the whole truth. 

Keep your observations in context, and remember that the art of lying is as complex as it is fascinating.

Read More

13 Surprising Behaviors That Scream Someone Is Undereducated

9 Reasons Baby Boomers Are Healthier Than Other Generations

What It Take To Be A Successful Investor

by

What makes a successful investor? Is it your ability to beat the market or to beat your competition?

In my opinion, being a successful investor doesn’t have to do with out-earning your peers or leaving the S&P in the dust. No, my definition is very simple.

Develop an investment plan using a variety of factors, and be able to execute and follow that plan indefinitely.

Suitability

This is step 1. You need to figure out what your “suitability” is. Your suitability will lay a very good foundation upon which you build your investment plan. Suitability involves three things:

  • Risk tolerance – This is your ability to handle drawdowns in your portfolio. If you crumble with fear every time you lose 5 percent, then you’ll probably want a fairly conservative portfolio*. On the other hand, if you have no problem seeing your portfolio drop 50 percent, then you’re ready for a more aggressive allocation.
  • Time horizon – Probably the most important factor of the three. Your time horizon is basically when you’ll need the money. A long time horizon allows an investor to take on more risk because there’s more time for them to recover from drawdowns. The inverse is true for short time horizons. You’ll want to be conservative because you have little time to earn back what’d you lost.
    • Long time horizon – 10+ years
    • Medium time horizon – 2-5 years
    • Short time horizon – Less than 2 years
  • Goals – What’s your plan? Is this savings going to be used as a down payment for a house? If so, there’s probably a minimum dollar amount you have in mind and you’ll want to tip the odds in your favor that you don’t go below that. Similarly, if this is for retirement and you have 30 years to invest, you have the green light for risk assets.

Keep in mind that all three of these things, plus one other, need to be used together when determining your asset allocation. If you are tolerant of risk, but need the money in 5 years, somewhere in the middle between aggressive and conservative is probably better. That one other thing is your behavior as an investor.

Investor behavior

The finance/investment world is coming around to this, but your psychology is a HUGE factor as an investor.

Obtaining a high return on assets is one of your goals, but it should not be the primary goal. When you create an investment plan you have to make sure it’s something you can actually stick with.

I wrote about it previously, here.

You could be tolerant to risk and you could have a long time horizon, but if you lay awake at night every time the market drops, then you need to rethink your approach.

That kind of fear and anxiety hinders your ability to follow your plan. What normally happens, is someone sets an unrealistic investment plan, one where they take on too much risk.

Thereafter, volatility picks up. They check their portfolio and it’s declined 15 percent. They wait a day and check the next.

Another 2 percent drop. Then the thought of 2008 creeps into their heads and the panic sell.

You can set up a great investment plan, but your behavior will ultimately make the decisions. Keep that in mind.

Asset allocation

Using your suitability and behavior, you can then determine your asset allocation. The types of assets you use in your allocation can vary. If you wanted to invest a small percentage of your portfolio in gold, for instance.

The three most common assets are stocks, bonds, and cash. With risks ranging from high risk to virtually (there’s always some risk) no risk.

Speaking very generally, people with long time horizons and are more tolerant of risk, have a more aggressive portfolio. The inverse is true for people with short time horizons and a low-risk tolerance.

That said, the ultimate goal is to develop a plan that meets your goals in the smoothest fashion possible.

Ignore the noise

Throughout your investment “career” you’ll run into people, friends, family, or even random people on the street that will tell you the sky is falling or that the newest IPO will go gang-busters and you need to get in now!

Put your blinders on. There are two things that hurt investors. Their own behavior and their ability, or lack thereof, to tune out what’s happening around them.

This is extremely difficult because we, as humans, have evolved to use our peers to compare or judge, our standing in society.

Stay in your lane and focus on your goals.

Never stop learning

Every single experience in your life is a learning opportunity, especially the bad one. I recommend journaling daily, recount your day, and dig little nuggets of knowledge from your experiences.

Additionally, take in some form of content every day that improves your understanding in your line of work, or in an industry that you’re interested in.

With regard to your finances, give our Toolkit page a look. There you’ll find a number of books and resources to enhance your financial know-how.

Please be advised: Everything written in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as investment advice. Opinions are my own and do not reflect the opinions of this publisher or my employer.

Further reading:

The Psychology Of Money