As Voltaire said, “History never repeats itself; man always does.” Many interpret this saying differently, but the core message that human behavior is hard to change is clear. Since humans cannot predict the future, they can only forecast it based on past experiences. That’s the best way to anticipate what’s ahead. The current economic and financial landscape is driven by irrational human behavior that remains constant. It is not based on <hard skills> like investment techniques or mathematical formulas but on <soft skills> such as emotions, psychological reactions, and attitudes. Understanding humans helps us understand the world. Therefore, history and the humanities play a significant role in wealth building. However, it takes just a few soft skills to accumulate wealth, and ultimately, human actions shape a person’s destiny. In wealth building, soft skills and behavior matter more than grand theories or knowledge. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”
James Simons founded Renaissance Technologies, the leading American hedge fund investor. He was, in fact, a mathematician. The Medallion Fund he ran had also seen a 200-fold increase in Berkshire Hathaway stock yield, matching Warren Buffett's performance. It was an incredible record, plain and simple. This conclusion was a subtraction of 5% of the management fee from the fund as a GP with 44% of the compensation fee. He invested in a cutting-edge "quant system" that trades stocks using sophisticated computer-aided algorithms. To eliminate emotional interference, the finance industry excluded employees. However, they recruited doctors like him from the science and technology fields. Even having extensive financial and investment knowledge, investment is the conclusion of action. Sound judgment beyond feelings is crucial for investment, but feelings are a variable. It's challenging to become wealthy if you don't control your emotions. In other words, emotions are a...