Anonymous wrote:
They sound insufferable and are clearly losing money on some of their ventures. I hope for them that the rest of their investments compensate for their mistakes.
We have shared with our close friends that we don't rely on our meager research scientist salaries alone to fund our lifestyle, and that some lucky investing in stocks have helped us along the way. We are considering diversifying in real estate as well. However, beyond that initial information, we have not talked about it.
I think some smart people think passive investing via index funds is boring. They think -- well ANYONE can do that, and I'm smarter than just anyone. That's when they start putting their money into more "interesting" things -- whether it's stock picking; or giving money to an investment manager who they are sure is "in the know" etc. I have a colleague like this. We work at a place where we're somewhat limited in what we can invest in (though practically any fidelity/vanguard fund/ETF is fair game) and she constantly complains about how she's missing out on TONS of private placement opportunities bc she is working there.