Katrina.Tuliao/Flickr
I just got word of a new web series from MSN.com that is looking for financially stable individuals and families who want financial investment guidance to appear on the show. If selected, a bunch of experts will help you out to address problems, set goals, and make plans to meet them!
The show, which will be shown online, is casting in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, Denver, Miami, Omaha, and Dallas. Submit the following info by March 26, 2010 via email to investorcasting@gmail.com.
Your email submission should include your name, location, contact info, and a recent photo of you and your family. You must be 18 or older to participate.
Here are the types of people they are looking for.
1. A NEW INVESTOR with POSITIVE CASH FLOW who will explore riskier investments
2. A seasoned and CONFIDENT INVESTOR who has SIGNIFICANT SAVINGS (i.e. 2 years salary)
3. An active RISKY INVESTOR who has a very LARGE PORTFOLIO
4. Someone who does most of their TRADES ONLINE who wants ADVANCED investment skills
5. A CAUTIOUS INVESTOR who wants INDEPENDENCE from their broker
6. A person in their PEAK EARNING years who needs an UPDATED financial plan
7. Someone with HIGH FUTURE INCOME potential who wants ADVENTUROUS YET SAFE investments
This post is brought to you by CouponCactus.com, a great source of online coupon codes for taxes, groceries, and more.
Woman are better at riding out stock market crashes, while men are more likely to sell during lows, says the Sunday’s New York Times. “There’s been a lot of academic research suggesting that men think they know what they’re doing, even when they really don’t know what they’re doing,” said John Ameriks, a Vanguard exec who co-authored the study. (Kind of like how men hate asking for directions…)
Men’s overconfidence led them to trade stocks nearly 50 percent more often than women. “This added trading drove up the men’s costs and lowered their returns,” the story said.
It is interesting that the story and the researchers interpret men’s propensity for selling in a volatile market as overconfidence and not emotional weakness. I bet many people – men and women – who sold stocks as the market fell last year were motivated by fear. Fear that their investments, their retirement, and their future would be dashed if they didn’t do something about it.
The emotional pressure to survive a falling stock market may have been felt greater by men, who carry a societal burden to be breadwinners. That could be a factor in why men mistakenly sold off stocks more often then women. If there’s one thing I’ve heard about being a good investor, it is that you can’t make financial decisions based on emotions and come out ahead.
Men’s overconfidence, however, also led them to take greater risks than women, which can mean bigger returns. Women feel safer with the slow and steady earnings from bonds, apparently.
[poll id="57"]
It’s unclear how significant these differences are, and the reasons behind it. Nature? Nurture? Or…? Researchers are studying how our emotions effect our finances and are looking at ties between testosterone and risk-taking. In the meantime, I’m holding onto what I’ve got.
