Don't Let Your Instincts Rule Your Investments
Carefully crafted financial plans can be easily derailed by emotions. When faced with market fluctuations or personal situations, our primal instincts take over, urging impulsive actions that can hurt our finances. The Lizard Brain vs. Long-Term Strategies This impulsive urge stems from the "lizard brain," an ancient part responsible for basic survival instincts like fight-or-flight. While invaluable for avoiding immediate dangers, it's ill-equipped for nuanced tasks like investing. Investing requires a different mindset. It involves planning, patience, and staying the course through volatility. Conversely, the lizard brain prioritizes immediate reactions to perceived threats. Financial losses, while not life-or-death situations, can trigger the body's stress response as if it were. This physiological reaction makes it harder to control emotions and can lead to poor investment decisions. Disadvantages of Emotional Investing While emotions can...