no point...I believe all of us are into trading as our mindset is set to tolerate risk - and we get a kick out of it..If we didnt trade financial markets, we'd play something else!
Just the way we are...
Yes, I started horse-race betting around the age of 17 (nearly 18, but people weren't quite so hot on checking ages in those days), for a brief period (although I'd studied form etc for a lot longer). I could see the way it was going and stopped, and vowed never to do it again, which I never have. I knew I had it in me to be a compulsive gambler.
Although trading is not gambling, you'll find that most traders would at least entertain/understand a game of poker/blackjack etc...whereas those that cant stand gamblng, most likely dont touch financial markets either
True. I used to be very into card-games and working out the odds. Haven't played much for money, except for a period around 20-21, when I got into a "Nap" school at a pub (a rough estate pub
in an area the taxi-drivers called "Dodge City" ). Don't laugh - these guys took it seriously, even if it was only for pennies and shillings (but I bet some real money changed hands sometimes). Nap, at least the way they played it was a bit like a cross between poker and whist. I soon saw that I was outclassed in both playing cards and fighting, so I gave it up, and stuck to drinking, smoking, and letching
Modern poker, especially online poker, has never appealed. I do like the idea of perhaps playing Bridge for small stakes. Seems a bit more refined and intellectual
Car trading: I was introduced by my son a few years ago to the world of car auctions. If you've never seen one, it's worth it for the entertainment value. If you knew what you were doing, I reckon that might be the way to go to pick up bargains and sell on at a profit.
Cars don't really interest me as such. I just need something reliable for occasional long trips and trips to the tip. I like the idea of buying good second-hand when it's already taken a depreciation hit and there's no VAT, do any minor jobs needed, and run it for several years hopefully trouble-free, and sell it while it's still a going concern. I think you can do this ok if you pay, say, up to 3-4k, probably a lot less if you really know what you are doing - which I don't, but I get someone who does to advise me.
A friend of my daughter's bought an old Mercedes estate for about £300 from Ebay, and he lent it to her. For reasons which vaguely escape me, it's actually sitting on our drive now, even though she lives 60 miles away. The quid pro quo is that I'm allowed to drive it, which I quite liked once I got used to the automatic gears and the huge size, although I do worry sometimes about being taken for a drug-dealer.
