Keeping Up With The Joneses

[Albert Okagbue]

How do you measure your investment results?  Do you measure them against other investors?  Or do you use an absolute number for yourself e.g. % return?

So far investors I have talked to do not care what other people are doing.  They set a bar and only invest when they can jump over it, and try to get as good as possible within that framework. But none of those folks are on BP or other networking sites.  They are pretty much lone-rangers. I'm curious, since returns can be discussed here, how many people are comparing their results with those of other investors?

(If this has been discussed in another forum, please paste the link.  Thanks.)

[Ben Meisel]

I think the key is figuring out what works for you as an investor and going from there.  I believe there will always be investors out there who will get better returns than me.  If I believed that I shouldn't invest in anything until I can get those returns, then I probably wouldn't ever end up investing!  Some returns are a result of other successful investments, so you can't compare investor A and investor B and assume all is equal.  

I would focus on what types of return you need to achieve your goals.  Then, as experience and opportunities arise, you can work on improving those returns (and modifying your goals).

Don't let perfection get in the way of progress!