By guest contributor Rylie Griffiths ’25
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Be Authentic – Authenticity comes from being genuine and unique. Gaining success in any asset class comes from the ability to stick to true values. To be authentic, one must deeply understand oneself and be aware of one’s investing behaviour. This includes the ability to recognize their risk tolerance, priorities, and financial goals. To ensure that one’s investments gain a maximum return, it would be recommended that they manage those investments themselves. In all cases, this is not possible, but if educated with enough financial information, it is wise that they do so. For example, when savings are placed in mutual funds, one doesn’t have any control over how their investment is allocated. These managers don’t feel the same obligation to obtain the highest returns as one would if it were their investment. For this reason, an investor should rely on themselves for a greater chance of achieving meaningful and sustainable financial returns. Authentic investors show commitment to their strategies, reflecting their financial thoughts and ideas. They can think for themselves which often result in empowering success.
Be Reflective – Honesty is a difficult thing to address in the world of investing. Not all choices made will result in overwhelming success. Some may break even, and others may even take losses. To avoid repeated financial devastation, the most experienced investors can reflect on past decisions made. Understanding how and why it happens can be difficult, but this review is critical to reduce the chance that it happens again. One cannot escape losses, but certain precautions can be taken by learning from past mistakes about what not to repeat. It also works in the other direction. Investors who can break down their greatest profits, gain insight on what to look for in the future. Honest reflection is a powerful tool that can be used for growth if appropriately analyzed. One thing to remember when applying this is that it must be done sincerely. Looking back and attributing the performance of your investment, good or bad, to others is not beneficial. All reflection done must be based on an investor’s actions, not those around them. All in all, reflection may be the most difficult foundation to address, but it can be significantly rewarding when applied well.
Be Passionate – Passion fuels commitment, resilience, and deeper engagement. In ten interviews conducted amongst the brightest minds in personal investment, a mutual theme of passion was discussed each time. It is what wakes them up in the morning and keeps them up at night. Throughout bear markets and unfortunate losses, enthusiasm when looking at the bigger picture can quickly promote optimism. Genuine passion is a key contributor to the success that an investor will have. If they aren’t interested in what they are doing, then they won’t put in extraordinary efforts to get extraordinary results. This foundational key is what separates the good from the great. Those who are just going through the motions demonstrate no urgency or desire to achieve what those who eat, sleep, and breathe their passion achieve. This applies to any chosen appreciating asset, such as traditional investments like stocks and bonds or collectibles like art and vintage cars. If the passion, the love for what they do, isn’t there, only mediocre results are found.
Be Curious – Lifelong learning is regularly discussed in schools, but it isn’t made clear what it looks like. Are textbooks supposed to be read forever? This is a common misconception around a critical topic. Being a lifelong learner involves constantly investigating curiosity. Curiosity drives the continuous search for knowledge, critical analysis, and deeper understanding. The financial sector is developing at an exponential rate, faster than ever before, with the convergence of artificial intelligence and financial technologies. How could one possibly expect to prosper with a closed mindset and outdated knowledge? Embracing the evolving space requires a mindset that never settles for surface-level answers, leading to a deeper understanding of future opportunities. Curiosity backs this exploration when always asking why. By repeatedly gathering information about innovations or historic events, it eventually compounds over time, leading one to become very knowledgeable. This allows an investor with greater learning experiences to have a strong background to base their financial decisions upon. Thus, demonstrating how curiosity plays such an important part in a portfolio’s success.
Be Connected – Connection serves as an effective tool for investors, big and small. Unknowingly, it can be a huge time saver, and here’s how. Seasoned professionals provide access to specialized information, real-time insight, and industry trends that aren’t regularly available to the public. The knowledge that comes from these established investors is tried and tested advice. Their techniques have been applied, and they either had a favourable or unfavourable outcome. By understanding what didn’t work for them, one can save their time and portfolio from going through these troubles. This connection is especially valuable in new or unfamiliar sectors. Why search for this information elsewhere when you can hear it from a trusted professional who has a profound understanding? Building these relationships is critical for an investor who is serious about maximizing their returns. The greatest thing one can get out of these relationships is not a cash handout, but the valuable material shared. It is up to the individual whether they would like to follow the information given or not. If given the accurate information and applied the correct way, the greatest gift has just been shared in relationships like these. Do not be afraid to reach out and attempt to build these connections, because successful professionals enjoy sharing their prized thoughts and ideas. At the end of the day, as discussed earlier, if they are passionate about what they do, they would be more than happy to share.
Be Respected – As an investor, being respected is deeply involved with the respect you show to others. This includes all, but not limited to, fellow investors, financial advisors, and the assets that you invest in. Showing respect to fellow investors and financial advisors looks like listening to all viewpoints, even the ones not agreed upon. By valuing these different perspectives, insight is gained which helps strengthen one’s overall knowledge about different topics, which they may or may not be familiar with. Fostering this open communication builds stronger relationships, which create a more diversified network of individuals. It can be difficult listening to what one may not want to hear, but learning this skill is valuable. When this skill is mastered, one ultimately has a better, well-rounded basis to make decisions upon. Once one has developed this reputation, they will not be surprised to see overwhelming amounts of respect demonstrated towards them. Showing respect to the assets one invests in looks like only purchasing what is thoroughly researched, analyzed, and well thought out. How could one expect to gain respectable returns from a disregarded investment? Respect goes both ways in all aspects of investing amongst all asset classes.
Be Wise – For new investors, it can be very difficult to find quality content that helps them discover a suitable investing strategy. If they already have a plan, finding a professional who aligns can be even more difficult. There is plenty of false or unhelpful information published in society today. Learning how to sort through what helps and what doesn’t can be time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to be. Being wise about what to learn from all starts with common sense. If titles of books, podcasts, or videos contain the words “easy” or “fast,” it is best to steer clear. It is understood by now that impactful investing does not embrace either of those words. Aside from that, it comes down to what strategy the investor would like to use. If interested in value investing, one would search for the smartest minds who use this strategy; Investors with a likable track record, such as Warren Buffett. This technique to find one’s strategy applies to all. Once quality content has been found, it is important to remember that what works for some may not work for others. Being wise involves taking a step back from what is recommended and questioning if it is the appropriate decision for one’s portfolio. This approach provides a margin of safety, which leads investors to pursue thoughtful, well-informed choices that support stable growth and financial sustainability over time.
Be Consistent – Consistency is a vital foundational key that must be executed to ensure that one’s portfolio performs at its highest it can. By sticking to core values and strategies as an investor, rash decisions can be avoided. Several factors may tempt one into wanting to act unfavourably against their prior plan, including short-term market volatility or economic uncertainty. Any rash decisions made during these events most often end up poorly. If appropriately structured, these inevitable events should be accounted for when developing one’s portfolio. No matter the state of the investment, if its strategy is abruptly disturbed, its entire future has been jeopardized. Remaining consistent is far from easy and requires immense emotional intelligence. Watching your investments take potentially brutal losses for weeks, months, sometimes even years, is not for the weak. Throughout all of this, there may be times when one just wants out and has had enough of the damage. It is highly recommended not to give in at these moments but rather to keep looking towards the future and what it holds. The reward for one’s commitment to their strategy can be very promising when they have persisted through tough times. Ultimately, consistency is the investor’s guide to maximizing financial returns through unpredictable markets.
Be Patient – All good investible assets appreciate over time. With proper research and the correct investments made, all art, cars, land, and equities’ value will increase in the future. Not to say that they never face temporary losses, but historical results demonstrate rising markets over extended periods. Trusting the educated decisions made in one’s portfolio and not tampering with it should ultimately benefit from the market’s upward trajectory. Patience also lets the compound effect take place. Compounding is a potent tool for growth and only becomes stronger with time. Allowing returns to generate interest upon interest leads to exponential development in undisturbed portfolios. Again, this is not as easy as it sounds. As discussed before, when watching the market fumble, impulsive decisions can destroy the plan that had been set in place. Patience must resist the emotional instincts of investors. Waiting for the long game transforms time into a portfolio’s biggest ally. Legendary investor Warren Buffett describes patience like this: “The stock market is designed to transfer money from the active to the patient.” This emphasizes the emotional detachment and patience required for the most successful long-term strategies. If all eight other foundational keys have been followed, key nine, patience, holds the most significant importance. They can all be applied, but without being given the time to execute and grow, they will prove unsuccessful.
