‘Anchoring’ can be most detrimental to the best interests of investors; it is, in fact, something we all have a tendency to do, and which we should almost always try to avoid. It is the tendency to evaluate buying and selling decisions around a specific number which emotionally latches itself into our minds based on dangerous misconceptions.

Women are better investors than men. That, at least, is what some studies convincingly show: for evidence, look up the reports in Forbes, the Financial Times (UK), Warwick Business School and Hargreaves Lansdown.

As it applies to investing, a strong dose of aptitude is essential if good results are to be expected. For many, unfortunately, investing is more about speculation than serious observation. Therein lies a dilemma: speculation involves guesswork, observation demands homework.