The Behavioral Investor

Description

From the New York Times bestselling author of the book named the best investment book of 2017 comes The Behavioral Investor, an applied look at how psychology ought to inform the art and science of investment management.
In The Behavioral Investor, psychologist and asset manager Dr. Daniel Crosby examines the sociological, neurological and psychological factors that influence our investment decisions and sets forth practical solutions for improving both returns and behavior. Readers will be treated to the most comprehensive examination of investor behavior to date and will leave with concrete solutions for refining decision-making processes, increasing self-awareness and constraining the fatal flaws to which most investors are prone.
The Behavioral Investor takes a sweeping tour of human nature before arriving at the specifics of portfolio construction, rooted in the belief that it is only as we come to a deep understanding of “why” that we are left with any clue as to “how” we ought to invest. The book is comprised of three parts, which are as follows:
– Part One – An explication of the sociological, neurological and physiological impediments to sound investment decision-making. Readers will leave with an improved understanding of how externalities impact choices in nearly imperceptible ways and begin to understand the impact of these pressures on investment selection.
– Part Two – Coverage of the four primary psychological tendencies that impact investment behavior. Although human behavior is undoubtedly complex, in an investment context our choices are largely driven by one of the four factors discussed herein. Readers will emerge with an improved understanding of their own behavior, increased humility and a lens through which to vet decisions of all types.
– Part Three – Illuminates the “so what” of Parts One and Two and provides a framework for managing wealth in a manner consistent with the realities of our contextual and behavioral shortcomings. Readers will leave with a deeper understanding of the psychological underpinnings of popular investment approaches such as value and momentum and appreciate why all types of successful investing have psychology at their core.
Wealth, truly considered, has at least as much to do with psychological as financial wellbeing. The Behavioral Investor aims to enrich readers in the most holistic sense of the word, leaving them with tools for compounding both wealth and knowledge.

Educated at Brigham Young and Emory Universities, Dr. Daniel Crosby is a psychologist, behavioral finance expert and asset manager who applies his study of market psychology to everything from financial product design to security selection. He is co-author of the New York Times bestseller Personal Benchmark: Integrating Behavioral Finance and Investment Management and founder of Nocturne Capital. He is at the forefront of behavioralising finance. His ideas have appeared in the Huffington Post and Risk Management Magazine, as well as his monthly columns for WealthManagement.com and Investment News.
Daniel was named one of the “12 Thinkers to Watch” by Monster.com, a “Financial Blogger You Should Be Reading” by AARP and in the “Top 40 Under 40” by Investment News.
When he is not consulting around market psychology, Daniel enjoys independent films, fanatically following St. Louis Cardinals baseball, and spending time with his wife and three children.

“’The Behavioral Investor’ is Daniel Crosby’s brilliant new book which looks at how professional investors can improve and enhance their performance by better understanding the way their brains influence their behaviours and affects their investment practice.” —Steven Goldstein, Senior Managing Director, Alpha R Cubed“…a useful summary of an increasingly important field of investing. Our brains have not evolved fast enough to make us expert in many investment decisions, and being aware of these short-comings may help us, not to knock it out of the park as investors, but to avoid various more obvious mistakes that can often hurt our wealth.” —Simon Moore, Chief Investment Officer at Moola and contributor to Forbes“Crosby’s book is eminently readable, with ample stories and studies…the book offers the reader valuable lessons in creating a portfolio that can, at least in part, circumvent the most pervasive behavioral pitfalls.” —Brenda Jubin, Reading the Markets blog“…Crosby is a master of his craft, a great storyteller as well as an academic, who can explain sometimes difficult concepts in simple terms and support his arguments with thought-provoking and entertaining commentary.” —Richard Gill, CFA and contributor to Master Investor“Rather arrogantly, I thought I knew everything there was to know about behavioural finance. After reading ‘The Behavioural Investor’ I realise I was wrong (ironically arrogance is one of the cognitive flaws that Dr Crosby writes about in his excellent book!).” —Robert Carver, author ‘Smart Portfolios’ and visiting lecturer at Queen Mary, University of London
“For fans of behavioral finance Crosby’s book is a must to add to your collection. For neophytes it’s a great introduction.” —Larry Swedroe, Author and Director of Research , The BAM Alliance