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Sanam Balani

Your brain is your worst-performing asset with investing.


Everyone wants a smarter investment strategy.

Nobody wants to hear that their own brain is their worst-performing asset.

I spent 8 years at Goldman Sachs watching brilliant people make the same predictable mistakes.

Not because they lacked information. Because they trusted their instincts over their system.

Behavioural finance taught me one uncomfortable truth:

We are not rational investors.

We are emotional investors who occasionally act rational.


The most expensive mistakes I witnessed (and made):

→ Holding a losing position to “avoid locking in the loss”.

→ Overweighting recent news in long-term decisions.

→ Copying peers’ portfolios without clear context.

→ Attributing gains to skill, losses to bad luck.

→ Mistaking confidence for competence.

Every single one of these has a name. A bias. A documented pattern. A known fix.

The investor’s real edge in 2026 isn’t a hot stock tip.

It’s self-awareness.


The AIBR Solution I use with every coaching client:

  1. 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝟱 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: what emotion was driving each?
  2. 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗶𝗮𝘀: loss aversion, overconfidence, or herd mentality?
  3. 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: automate what your emotions would sabotage.
  4. 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗹𝘆, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆: frequency of checking = frequency of reacting.

You don’t need to outsmart the market.

You need to outsmart the version of you that checks their portfolio 6 times a day when it’s red.

That investor is expensive. Retire them first.

📞 If you’re a high-achiever who keeps getting in your own way with money, let’s talk using the link right below.

P.S. I'm running a Birthday offer this month. Book your free call to see if we're the right fit!

Have a great week team,
Sanam

Sanam Balani

Join readers of Money Manners Monday for hands-on strategies to improve how you save and invest to boost your financial wellbeing using simple systems. Receive these in your inbox every Monday at 8am GMT / 12pm GMT+4 / 2pm SGT.

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