Investa, Inc. 1. Popular perceptions, values, and ways of doing things are rarely the wisest. If you see in any given situation only what everyone else can see, you can be said to be so much a representative of your culture that you are a victim of it. Most investors take it as an article of faith that skill, intelligence, and effort will be rewarded, but the evidence shows that these virtues do not win the Wall Street prediction game.
Risk is the primary determinant of success.
The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress. Persistance and determination alone are omnipotent. If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention, than to any other talent. Diversification reduces risk without reducing expected returns.