Why do we take the risks we do?

Sometimes we just can't help ourselves from doing dumb things. And it's not really our fault.

In his recent book, Your Money & Your Brain, author Jason Zweig discusses why we're motivated by the prospect of reward.

"Our brains reflexively light up when we're presented with the possibility of big financial gains, regardless of the odds. (Zweig humorously points out that the brain scans of someone high on cocaine and someone who's thinking about making money look identical.) And if you hit it big, even just once, you'll still keep trying to strike gold again. That explains why people buy lottery tickets and why jackpot winners keep buying more."

"Letting your base instincts rule probably won't lead to successful results." 

If you suffered more losses than you are comfortable with, you probably can benefit from having an Visible Investment Advisor on your side.