Treat your investments as you would a first date, says watchdog

PEOPLE should apply the same principles to investing as they would to dating, according to the City watchdog.

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) commissioned research among 1,000 investors aged 18 to 40, who also use online dating platforms, to understand their approach in both parts of their life.

Nearly half, or 48pc, of those surveyed said they are dating to find a potential partner for life.

But only 2pc of those questioned had a timeframe of more than five years in mind when investing and 14pc had no timeframe at all.

The research, to highlight the FCA’s InvestSmart campaign, also explored how investors would react to a ‘red flag’ on a date and when investing. These included a date being rude to the waiting staff and arriving late, or difficulty getting invested money out, or an investment opportunity only being available for a short time.

Men were more likely to continue with a date despite spotting a red flag – 49pc compared with 39pc of women – and more likely to push on with an investment after identifying a warning sign – 39pc versus 28pc of women.

A third said they were able to ignore hype – for example a high follower count – on a potential match’s social profile. Only a fifth said they were able to ignore hype about investments. The FCA has teamed up with Anna Williamson, of Channel 4 show Celebs Go Dating, who said: ‘Relationships and matchmaking are so much more than aesthetics – initial attraction can fade, so you need to look at the bigger picture if you want something to last the long-term.

‘ The same could be said of investing – don’t buy into the hype... and consider your longerterm goals.’