Aspies as Investors?

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I'm curious to know how we would do as stock investors? Part of being a good stock investor is being good at analysis and discipline. Analysis we have in spades. I could see an autistic cousin be a very good technical analysis of a stock chart or be able to develop a quantitative algorithm trading system. We do have certain talents that would put us at an advantage. What do you think?

I can tell you that I am a very good stock analyst. I predicted the last crash with complete accuracy. For my troubles I was laughed at and called 'chicken little' by my co-workers. Then it happened exactly as I predicted and everyone shut the flock up.

Right now I can tell you with complete confidence that nothing that matters has changed between then and now. Those in power have done nothing to fix the ongoing depression (the correct term for the present situation, NOT ongoing recovery). They don't think anything needs to be done except convince people everything is getting better. They believe if they succeed in selling the idea nothing is wrong then everyone will start spending again and everything will be alright. SO the only 'cure' we are getting is a massive propaganda campaign to convince us we aren't in a depression.

The problem with this is it's just not true. It doesn't really matter what people think or believe, because we have passed the tip-over point, real incomes have been going down for the last 30 years, all the good paying middle-class jobs have been exported, and the middle-class has already shrunk to a shadow of its former self. So they are dead wrong about it being a lack of confidence thing, it's really a lack of money thing, and until they figure that out, and believe me they will fight the idea tooth and nail because they don't WANT to believe it, nothing positive will happen.

What does this mean for buying stocks? It's simple, don't, unless you like losing money, because it's going to crash again soon, and this time they will find it much harder to re-inflate their bubble.

Read "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis. In the book the author profiles Dr. Michael Burry. He was a neurosurgeon(and an Aspie) who left his practice to create a trading fund that accurately timed the housing bubble bursting. I believe that Aspies are the perfect people to become investors because no one else has the focus required to read mind numbing prospectus after mind numbing prospectus. It's a great read, too.

I would have considered finance if I didn't have dyscalculia. That said, I give my money to my cousin and he invests it into some etf though i don't know if its an index fund or whatever. I will learn finance soon though.

I invest, and my running returns exceed all the indices that I invest in. I do hold stocks now - if you have any savings, or a pension fund, then it has to be held in something. Inflation is higher than savings account interest rates, so stocks and property investment make good sense.

Bubble stocks and metals would be a good choice for day trader / gambler types who are able to stay focused and ready to switch quickly (I am not able to stay focused, not every day, and don't have an interest in gambling).

I've studied finances (my degree is one), but I don't have that analytical interest and hyperfocus that a stock, metal, housing etc. investment would require. I don't have that much savings either. What I have I keep in a bank savings account that I've carefully chosen for flexibility, security and interest rate.

I share the opinion of those who say our current financial / economic system is not sustainable in the long term, largely because of the same reasons Marx raised against it eras ago. Polarizing income and concentrating ownership, geographical conflicts between regions&countries (debtor-creditor, using economic power -> income redistribution), climatic changes, structural demographic problems (aging society in the western countries, boom in the so-called 3rd world), exhausting mineral resources, overpopulation of Earth, the faltering idea of capital-leveraging derivatives, just to mention a few of the major problems.

I'm comfortable from investing in property. I bought my first house when I was 17

I suspect this might be one of those things that an aspie would either be very good at or really suck at. Investing takes a obsessive attention to detail so if it is a special interest excellence might ensue. But if it is not interesting, forget it.

I sometimes suspect Bill W., an A.A. co-founder, might have been as Aspie ...

It all depends on the person, I think. Warren Buffett is an excellent investor, the best in the world, and is considered by some to be an Aspie. However, he has not been technically diagnosed. I have an interest in finance and economics. I'm actually getting an economics degree. I don't think I'm going to be as good as Buffett --I suspect he's far more obsessed with this one topic than I am. My dream is to one day start my own Asset Management firm or Hedge Fund. I don't know much about either yet but I'm interested in doing this to gain a substantive foothold into a high economic tier for my family and progeny --I do things for odd reasons. I love Buffett's philosophy, not only about investing but about life in general. Finally, coming on wrongplanet is a nice experience, but I think Aspies should spend their time focused on actually making some kind of contribution rather than talking about how they can make a contribution, or how smart they can be lol. Go out and actually do something with your life.

I dunno how dumb this question is but if I had 500 dollars and a willingness to learn what would be the first thing to do to get into trading, I know 500 is not much

being able to see into the future would put you at an advantage

Investing and quantitative trading systems are really quite separate things, but yes, I think aspies could be good at both. Personally, I find company reports and prospectuses just as mind-numbing as the next guy. Quantitative trading systems I find more interesting. I've had some exposure to them and it's something I'd like to pursue more seriously in the future. I wish I was one of those aspies who can just "see" patterns in data. That would be invaluable in trading! If you have such an "aspie superpower" - use it. (And also get in touch - maybe we can bounce some ideas off each other or something.)