Comments on: Investing for Fun

By: Cherryl Hanson-Simpson

Cherryl Hanson-Simpson — Wed, 13 May 2009 16:15:38 +0000

Enjoyed reading your article. Every individual is different and because of the seriousness of Investments some persons prefer to look at it from a entertainment point of view not as if he/she is saying it is all about fun but they want to at least feel that he/she has a balance where the risk factors are concern.

By: Brian

Brian — Tue, 05 May 2009 18:32:38 +0000

Although I don’t invest for fun” I can see why it would be a hobbie or passion for others. Its very challenging and if you do make that “good” pick, you can be rewarded quite hansomly. In someways it could be thought of as a game or a sport, its not just the prize you get from winning, but its the challenge you get from playing.

By: Mark Wolfinger

Mark Wolfinger — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:35:42 +0000

Agree that boring is just fine and it’s the results that count.

But that does not necessarily translate into passive investing. Each individual needs an investment program suited to his/her personality. Otherwise, at some point, that boredom can easily translate into falling off the wagon and seeking high risk/high reward investments.

Mark

By: CarlosPorto

CarlosPorto — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:24:16 +0000

Totally agree that investing real money and expecting it to be “fun” is a little disingenuous. That being said, I’ve paper traded for years and it’s really helped me learn a lot of how the market works and what drives stock prices.
I used to keep a text document with the date, the trades, and why I was making them. Looking back on these, years later, is a great way to learn from your mistakes and wonder “What was I thinking?”
It makes you realize how much our emotions play on these kinds of decisions.

By: SJ

SJ — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:15:23 +0000

People are irrational =)

However, there is something to be said for doing some amount of investing for the “fun” aspect, i.e. as a hobby. It’s not as expensive as buying tons of cars and not as sad as excessive video games.
It’s like a video game you can kind of make money off of but difficultly lol….
If you assume you in such a way as that on avg you are even, then all you lost was the opportunity cost associated w/ indexing. If you lose more uh-oh lol