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> And you had to be very greedy indeed to convince yourself that 20% interest is a safe investment I think there is more nuance that this. People have been bur

> And you had to be very greedy indeed to convince yourself that 20% interest is a safe investment I think there is more nuance that this. People have been burned by many 'safe' investments over the years (housing, stocks) that they incorrectly view the risk profile as similar so look for higher returns. Much has been written on how we under appreciate actual risk, especially in 'safe' investments. There's also some YOLO here, but in a calculated way. A safe investment making 1% still means the wealth gap is widening and that person is still eating ramen. Why not swing for the fences, otherwise it doesn't matter anyway.

greyhair 5y ago
Where greed comes in is where people dive into a market precisely because it is going up like crazy, which you only know after it goes up like crazy, then when it takes a down turn, hang on too long because they don't want to give up that expensive thing, then finally sell in a panic. Buying high and selling low is a sure path to being poor.
ilikehurdles 5y ago
These are all logical fallacies that are (and have been for ages) conventionally bad patterns to follow in a casino, let alone with life savings.
sgjohnson 5y ago
> I think there is more nuance that this. People have been burned by many 'safe' investments over the years (housing, stocks) that they incorrectly view the risk profile as similar so look for higher returns. Much has been written on how we under appreciate actual risk, especially in 'safe' investments. I've got extremely financially literate friends who are adamant that 30-year variable rate mortgages are 0 risk. It's not that they don't assess the risk, but the excuses are always "Inflation will eat it away", "There's no way EURIBOR can climb so high I won't be able to afford payments" and "Negative equity? In this housing market?" Makes me shiver. Especially now that 12 Month EURIBOR rate is above 0%. Sure, a mortgage is 0 risk if you're buying yourself a home for the next 30 years AND have the cash to buy it outright. If you're buying a financial product, perhaps you should reconsider, because it shouldn't be both. Your primary residence is not an investment.

greyhair 5y ago

Where greed comes in is where people dive into a market precisely because it is going up like crazy, which you only know after it goes up like crazy, then when it takes a down turn, hang on too long because they don't want to give up that expensive thing, then finally sell in a panic. Buying high and selling low is a sure path to being poor.

ilikehurdles 5y ago

These are all logical fallacies that are (and have been for ages) conventionally bad patterns to follow in a casino, let alone with life savings.

sgjohnson 5y ago

> I think there is more nuance that this. People have been burned by many 'safe' investments over the years (housing, stocks) that they incorrectly view the risk profile as similar so look for higher returns. Much has been written on how we under appreciate actual risk, especially in 'safe' investments. I've got extremely financially literate friends who are adamant that 30-year variable rate mortgages are 0 risk. It's not that they don't assess the risk, but the excuses are always "Inflation will eat it away", "There's no way EURIBOR can climb so high I won't be able to afford payments" and "Negative equity? In this housing market?" Makes me shiver. Especially now that 12 Month EURIBOR rate is above 0%. Sure, a mortgage is 0 risk if you're buying yourself a home for the next 30 years AND have the cash to buy it outright. If you're buying a financial product, perhaps you should reconsider, because it shouldn't be both. Your primary residence is not an investment.