Life is short. So, here's what you can do to actually become a better investor and enjoy what you do!
We’re excited to share with you a coaching comment that applies to both your investments and personal life. Our goal in writing these articles is to help you strategically think about your financial choices and achieve true wealth in the long run. Ready to know more about today’s topic? Keep reading below.
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Life is short. So, here's what you can do to actually become a better investor and enjoy what you do! Robert Spivey, Director of Research at Valens Research, has an interesting insight about Altimetry Financial Research’s recruitment process. He says every six months, the team conducts an intense process to bring on two new interns from Northeastern University. As an alumnus himself, Spivey prefers to use the term, “co-ops.” These co-ops work at the firm full-time for six months. They work like full-time analysts and are expected to help produce content and research new ideas. In February 2023, Spivey and his team held interviews for their next batch of co-ops. Here, they asked candidates all kinds of questions to understand their thought processes and whether or not they’d be a good fit for the team. As with all the other past interviews they held, Spivey and his team never skip these two “must-ask” questions:
According to Spivey, these questions give him and his team lots of insights as interviewers. However, in their most recent round of interviews, one applicant asked the second question back to them. This made Spivey realize that asking such questions is a great exercise regardless of what phase of life he’s in. How Self-Reflection Helps Improve One’s Investments There are three things that Spivey likes most about his job: First, he likes that he gets to talk to different people in his line of work—from clients and business partners to a stream of new employees through Altimetry’s co-op program. They all help him look at the financial markets in different ways. In a past “The Independent Investor” article, we talked about the “Steel Man” technique and how it helps investors boost their portfolios. Basically, this method states working with people who have varying opinions gives you a wider perspective and makes your own ideas even stronger. Second, Spivey enjoys building a holistic view of the macroeconomy. He says most of the time in the investing world, people are bucketed as either “equity people,” “credit people,” or “macro people.” Each of these categories don’t look at the big picture. Thankfully, through Altimetry’s partners and prior experiences, Spivey and his team have been able to bridge all three categories successfully. This results in having a better view of where the financial markets are headed, instilling more confidence in clients, and providing diverse opportunities to Altimetry’s employees. Third, picking stocks is at the core of what Altimetry does… and one of Spivey’s favorite parts in the job is idea generation. For him, the fun starts when he and his team have done the macro work to understand what companies should do well in the future. He says it’s rewarding when the stocks they pick perform well. He also enjoys the process of finding such stocks, as well as learning about different industries, emerging technologies, and how the investing landscape changes over time. Now, you might be wondering: “What do all these insights mean to me and my investment portfolio?” To answer your question, self-reflection is a great way to identify what you truly enjoy AND spend time doing those things. Think about this: Investing is an important way to build wealth… but you shouldn’t dread it or simply feel obliged to do it. If you enjoy researching companies, following initial public offerings (IPOs), or looking at macro data, then spend time doing those things. However, if you don’t enjoy such stuff, there are different kinds of financial products to help you. These include exchange-traded funds (ETFs), registered investment advisers (RIAs), and various newsletter services. The bottom line here is by focusing on the parts of investing that you enjoy most, you’ll actually become a better investor. A 2022 study from the University of Warwick found that being happy or doing a task you enjoy makes you 12% more efficient. This means when you take time to self-reflect, you’ll not only avoid wasting time on activities you don’t like doing, but you’ll also be more productive in doing the work you love. Remember: Life is short and you only live once. So, as an investor, reflect on what you actually like about investing… and your life in general. Once you’ve identified those key points, think about how you can find more time doing those things. Give it a try! You’ll be surprised by the difference it makes. Hope you’ve found this week’s insights interesting and helpful. Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s The Independent Investor! Are you familiar with who Jack Ma is? Learn more about why the U.S. will keep out-innovating China and the rest of the world in next week’s article! |
