Are You Investing Or Speculating?
The Dangers of Speculation
A blog about the difference between investing and speculating for your own personal use.
We’re all smart. We’re all capable of making rational decisions. But we must remember that investing and speculating are two different things – and only one is likely to pay off in the long run.
In this article, I’ll examine the difference between investing and speculating. I’ll also look at why speculation is so dangerous for the average investor, and how investors can successfully avoid it.
What Is Speculation?
Speculation is when you make an investment in something where there is no fundamental or other value present. You are not buying into a company or an asset because you believe it will provide you with reliable earnings or income. Instead, you are simply betting that someone else will come along later and pay more than you have for it. It’s gambling, really – but with a lot more potential to cause lasting financial harm in the event that you are wrong.
Are You Investing Or Speculating? The Dangers of Speculation
Speculation is one of the biggest risks that investors face, both in investing and in trading. So before we dive into the details of this article, let’s start by defining what speculation is.
Speculation is the act of attempting to predict the movement of financial instruments using fundamental or technical analysis. Speculators can also be described as investors who make high-risk trades with the expectation of receiving a large return on investment (ROI).
If you’re new to investing or trading, you may be wondering what the difference is between speculation and gambling. To put it simply, gambling involves pure luck. On the other hand, speculating involves trying to predict future movements based on past events.
Speculating in a Nutshell
Some people speculate for fun and excitement. Others do it for profit. Whatever your reason for speculating may be, it’s important to understand that there is a high risk associated with this activity. In fact, many people have lost their life savings due to speculative investments gone wrong.
So why do people engage in this risky activity? According to David Cottle from ForexLive, people speculate because they have faith that they can predict the future
As a professional securities analyst and financial advisor, I am often in the habit of discussing the difference between investing and speculating with my clients. Since financial bubbles are more common than ever, it is important for everyone to understand what the difference is between investing and speculating so they can avoid losing their money in speculative schemes.
Investing involves a long-term commitment to purchasing assets that hold intrinsic value. This means you buy assets such as gold, silver and oil because they have proven over time to be valuable resources that are necessary for the functioning of society. This also includes real estate and other hard assets such as collectibles.
Speculating on the other hand happens when investors buy securities that have no intrinsic value but have only market price as determined by supply and demand from other investors. This would include stocks and bonds where there is no underlying asset such as gold or oil to back up the price.
The distinction between investing and speculating is one I’ve made many times before, but it’s worth repeating. Investing is the acquisition of an asset with the intent of holding it for a long period of time, in the expectation that it will generate value. Speculating is buying an asset in order to sell it at a higher price at some point in the future.
Speculation can be dangerous because you may lose money. In fact, by definition, when you speculate you’re taking on risk in the hope of making money — or rather, more money. Your goal as an investor, however, is to lose as little money as possible while accumulating assets that will grow in value over time and provide a steady flow of income.
Both investing and speculating are risky activities. The difference between them is that when you invest, you know what your risks are, whereas when you speculate, you have no idea what your risks are — which makes speculation even riskier than investing.
Investing is an activity that, over the long term, can generate significant wealth creation. Speculating is an activity that has the potential to make a fortune quickly, but also carries a high risk of significantly depleting your resources.
There are two ways to view investing and speculating from a personal finance standpoint. The first is that it is a means to an end: investing provides the capital for you to meet life’s needs and desires whenever you want to meet them. Speculating provides the potential for large returns, but also comes with significant risks that can wipe out your entire account.
The second way to view investing and speculating is through the lens of your overall goals. Investing helps you accomplish long-term goals such as saving for retirement or college education costs. Speculating helps accomplish short-term goals such as traveling or paying off credit card debt.
The human psyche is such that it loves instant gratification. Speculation offers this in the sense that great returns can be made from investing in a stock but also losses are possible. Investing involves buying a good or service and holding on to it for a long-term period of time. Speculating involves risk taking and the possibility of losing money.
The difference between speculation and investing is similar to the difference between gambling and playing the lottery. The lottery is a form of gambling because you are spending money in the hopes of winning more money back. Investing on stocks is more like playing the lottery, except you have done your research on which stocks to invest in, whereas gambling requires no knowledge at all.
Speculating on stocks involves buying a stock because you think its price will rise in value over time. You may have some insight or information on the company whose stock you are purchasing but there is no guarantee it will happen as you expect it to happen.
Investing involves purchasing shares of companies that you think will pay dividends (a percentage of their profits) every year or two years depending on how they operate their business model. It’s important to note here that investing in stocks does not guarantee any return at all; it only provides potential returns if the company’s
Speculation is the act of investing your money in an asset or purchasing something with the hope that it will generate income in the future or appreciate and be sold at a higher price. It is the buying of an asset which is subject to price fluctuations, with the intention of reselling it at a later date when its value has increased for profit.
For example, if you purchase stocks and bonds, you are speculating. If you purchase long-term real estate holdings, you are speculating. If you buy a piece of artwork with hopes that it will increase in value over time, you are speculating.
Speculation can also mean investment in assets which provide no income and do not generate interest or dividends. An example would be purchasing gold bullion for $100 per ounce with hopes that it will increase in value to $150 per ounce.
The problem with speculation is that it can be very dangerous if one does not understand how to properly speculate. Speculation requires a lot more knowledge than simple investing because one must rely on their own abilities to research and make decisions rather than using an advisor like a financial planner or broker dealer as they do with investing.
Investing involves buying securities or other financial assets in order to gain passive income or appreciation in the value of