Being convinced that your emotions have affected your serenity in investing, you are now ready to do some work to find your comfort zone.
An investment inventory will show you who you are as an investor. In this chapter, I will first set out the instructions on how to write an investment inventory. This will be followed by some commentary on the process. Then you will read four examples of completed inventories so you can see how it is done, and that it is possible to do. After that, I will explain parts of the process in more detail to help you through any blocks you might have.
The inventory is a scientific process. You will write down your investing history and analyze it for mistakes and accomplishments. Thereafter you will avoid areas where you are prone to mistakes and emphasize areas where you do well. After you are finished, you will be amazed that you have never scientifically studied your investment process before. All successful businesses study their processes and improve on them. I had been living off my investments for more than 11 years when I wrote my first inventory. Today, I do not see how I went that long without ever putting investment process on paper. Now I make an inventory at least once a year.
