Do you have belief?
- tennisplyr
- Posts: 2354
- Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 1:53 pm
- Location: Sarasota, FL
Do you have belief?
They say that successful tennis players have a belief in themselves that when they walk on the court they expect to do well...to win. Do you have belief in your investment knowledge and skills, do you feel that no matter what happens, you will be successful?
Last edited by tennisplyr on Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:20 am, edited 1 time in total.
Those who move forward with a happy spirit will find that things always work out.
- RickBoglehead
- Posts: 5025
- Joined: Wed Feb 14, 2018 9:10 am
- Location: In a house
Re: Do you have belief?
What skills? 3 fund portfolio, with an AA that makes sense, doesn't take any skills. It takes discipline.
Sure, there are some skills involved, which is why many don't do it. But it's not "investment skills".
Sure, there are some skills involved, which is why many don't do it. But it's not "investment skills".
Avid user of forums on variety of interests-financial, home brewing, F-150, PHEV, home repair, etc. Enjoy learning & passing on knowledge. It's PRINCIPAL, not PRINCIPLE. I ADVISE you to seek ADVICE.
Re: Do you have belief?
No. How could I feel that?tennisplyr wrote: ↑Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:00 amThey say that successful tennis players have a belief in themselves that when they walk on the court they expect to do well...to win. Do you have belief in your investment skills, do you feel that no matter what happens, you will be successful?
"Earn All You Can; Give All You Can; Save All You Can." .... John Wesley
-
- Posts: 243
- Joined: Thu Nov 06, 2014 1:58 pm
- Location: "Somewhere in the middle of America"
Re: Do you have belief?
I do believe that being more confident than a fairly equal opponent can be a benefit but believing I can beat Serena Williams may be as delusional as thinking my belief has any influence over long-term returns. Since success is an entirely different and subjective measure then if I believe I am successful then I am. Pointless.
Last edited by Presintense on Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
Performance = Potential - Distraction
- Dialectical Investor
- Posts: 527
- Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2018 11:41 pm
Re: Do you have belief?
If you measure success as having a reasonable strategy and adhering to it, sure. If you measure success as actually reaching a financial goal through investment performance, definitely not. For a passive investor, the primary drivers of investment outcomes are not under the control of the investor. No amount of knowledge, skill, practice, mental acuity, or self-confidence can change that. No body, thing, or force cares about your beliefs or expectations, which are totally irrelevant in every way. Bummer.tennisplyr wrote: ↑Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:00 amThey say that successful tennis players have a belief in themselves that when they walk on the court they expect to do well...to win. Do you have belief in your investment skills, do you feel that no matter what happens, you will be successful?
-
- Posts: 1266
- Joined: Mon Jun 11, 2018 3:17 am
Re: Do you have belief?
Of course, all I touch is gold!tennisplyr wrote: ↑Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:00 amThey say that successful tennis players have a belief in themselves that when they walk on the court they expect to do well...to win. Do you have belief in your investment knowledge and skills, do you feel that no matter what happens, you will be successful?
Apparently this is particularly true among the male side of the species (per research), but by no means would I ever suggest that females couldn't have the trait in abundance or that particular males don't suffer from it.We believe there is a simple and powerful explanation for high levels of trading on financial markets: overconfidence. Human beings are overconfident about their abilities, their knowledge, and their future prospects. Odean [1998] shows that overconfident investors—who believe that the precision of their knowledge about the value of a security is greater than it actually is—trade more than rational investors and that doing so lowers their expected utilities. Greater overconfidence leads to greater trading and to lower expected utility.
https://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/odean ... beboys.pdfPsychologists find that in areas such as finance men are more overconfident than women. This difference in overconfidence yields two predictions: men will trade more than women, and the performance of men will be hurt more by excessive trading than the performance of women.
Consistent with the predictions of the overconfidence models, we find that the average turnover rate of common stocks for men is nearly one and a half times that for women. While both men and women reduce their net returns through trading, men do so by 0.94 percentage points more a year than do women.
Re: Do you have belief?
tennisplyr wrote: ↑Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:00 amThey say that successful tennis players have a belief in themselves that when they walk on the court they expect to do well...to win. Do you have belief in your investment knowledge and skills, do you feel that no matter what happens, you will be successful?
I felt that way about my career. I think it helped me be more successful.
I have the same belief about life in general, in that I have been fortunate to have a lot of advantages, and feel well equipped to deal with whatever the future may hold, for good or bad.
But, in investing, I am not even sure i know who the "opponent" is I am playing against. So, I don't really try to use my knowledge and skill to out-smart the markets, i just accept what the market provides and try to utilize my knowledge and skills in other areas to make it all work.
Once in a while you get shown the light, in the strangest of places if you look at it right.
Re: Do you have belief?
I believe that having a belief in yourself could improve your performance in a tennis match.
I do not believe that a believing in myself will have an impact upon the performance on my investments. How could it?
These are two completely different things.
JT
I do not believe that a believing in myself will have an impact upon the performance on my investments. How could it?
These are two completely different things.
JT
Re: Do you have belief?
I believe if I save more, I will accumulate more than those that don't.
I believe if I make regular investments in a broadly diversified portfolio I will average the returns available in those investments, and avoid the pitfalls inherent of more concentrated portfolios and playing the trading game.
I believe paying lower fees leads to higher returns for the same investments (obviously for the exact same investment, but also for the average and aggregate performance of alternatively weighted/traded portfolios sampled over time).
I believe if I make regular investments in a broadly diversified portfolio I will average the returns available in those investments, and avoid the pitfalls inherent of more concentrated portfolios and playing the trading game.
I believe paying lower fees leads to higher returns for the same investments (obviously for the exact same investment, but also for the average and aggregate performance of alternatively weighted/traded portfolios sampled over time).
"To achieve satisfactory investment results is easier than most people realize; to achieve superior results is harder than it looks." - Benjamin Graham
Re: Do you have belief?
"do you feel that no matter what happens, you will be successful?"
What jabroni believes this? Can you control disasters, war, or any unexpected stuff like that?
What jabroni believes this? Can you control disasters, war, or any unexpected stuff like that?
-
- Posts: 13356
- Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 1:45 pm
- Location: Reading, MA
Re: Do you have belief?
Right.
Savings rate (and amount) may be the most significant thing that matters, once you have a low cost custodian, not a shark...
Attempted new signature...
Re: Do you have belief?
Yes, the evidence is overwhelming.
Emotionless, prognostication free investing. Ignoring the noise and economists since 1979. Smart ≠ Rich. Rich ≠ Smart. Some are predisposed to consistently lose money. Don't be a sheep.
-
- Posts: 2321
- Joined: Fri May 17, 2013 7:09 am
Re: Do you have belief?
I believe I can be successful. I don't believe my success is guaranteed.
Don't do something. Just stand there!
Re: Do you have belief?
It is an interesting question to ponder.tennisplyr wrote: ↑Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:00 amDo you have belief in your investment knowledge and skills, do you feel that no matter what happens, you will be successful?
I have a belief that the stock market (and index funds) will increase in value over time. I believe we've saved well and have an appropriate mix of stocks and bonds. Overconfidence is a known behavioral pitfall in investing. Mostly, I'm grateful and hopeful.

-
- Posts: 13356
- Joined: Tue Mar 23, 2010 1:45 pm
- Location: Reading, MA
Re: Do you have belief?
Guarantees are overrated...IlliniDave wrote: ↑Thu Mar 14, 2019 8:30 amI believe I can be successful. I don't believe my success is guaranteed.
Attempted new signature...
-
- Posts: 489
- Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2016 12:13 pm
Re: Do you have belief?
This also happens at the other end of the curve.tennisplyr wrote: ↑Thu Mar 14, 2019 7:00 amThey say that successful tennis players have a belief in themselves that when they walk on the court they expect to do well...to win. Do you have belief in your investment knowledge and skills, do you feel that no matter what happens, you will be successful?
- AerialWombat
- Posts: 888
- Joined: Tue May 29, 2018 1:07 pm
Re: Do you have belief?
In before the lock...
I have belief in my ability to run my businesses. Belief in my ability to maintain a high savings rate. Belief in my rental property selection criteria.
I have zero faith whatsoever in my securities investing “skills”. Thus, I’ve picked a conservative AA, picked a certain course that probably makes sense, and I roll the dice and stay the course.
I have belief in my ability to run my businesses. Belief in my ability to maintain a high savings rate. Belief in my rental property selection criteria.
I have zero faith whatsoever in my securities investing “skills”. Thus, I’ve picked a conservative AA, picked a certain course that probably makes sense, and I roll the dice and stay the course.
“Life doesn’t come with a warranty.” -Michael LeBoeuf
Re: Do you have belief?
This thread has run its course and is locked (not a productive discussion). See: Locked Topics
Moderators or site admins may lock a topic (set it so no more replies may be added) when a violation of posting policy has occurred. Occasionally, even if there are no overt violations of posting policy, a topic (or thread) will reach a point where the information content of the discussion has been essentially exhausted and further replies are much more likely to cause distress to the community than add anything of value.