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Learning Path.

Understand Yourself

Focus on behaviour, risk tolerance, and decision traps so you can invest without self-sabotage.

Articles

9

For

People who want to understand how they respond to risk and markets

1

Risk vs Volatility vs Uncertainty: What the Words Actually Mean

These three words are often used interchangeably, but they describe different things. Confusing them leads to poor decisions. Understanding them leads to calmer ones. This article explains the distinctions: volatility as normal movement, risk as the...

Foundations6 min read
2

Risk Tolerance vs Risk Capacity: Two Questions That Are Often Confused

When people talk about how much risk they can handle, they usually mean one thing. But there are actually two distinct questions, and confusing them leads to predictable problems. The first question is psychological: how much volatility can you watch...

Behaviour11 min read
3

Loss Aversion and Panic Selling: Why Losses Hurt More and What to Do About It

A $10,000 loss and a $10,000 gain are mathematically equivalent. They are not psychologically equivalent. The loss feels worse. Much worse. This asymmetry is called loss aversion, and it is one of the most robust findings in behavioural economics. It...

Behaviour10 min read
4

Why Markets Fall: Cycles, Sentiment, and the Limits of Headlines

Markets fall. This is not a warning or a prediction. It is a description of how markets have always worked. Understanding why markets decline does not help you avoid them. No one can reliably predict when falls will happen or how deep they will go. B...

Behaviour8 min read
5

Pump-and-Dumps and Hot Tips: How Market Manipulation Works

Someone online is very excited about a stock. They have done "deep research." The company is about to announce something big. The price is going to explode. You need to get in now, before everyone else finds out.

Planning8 min read
6

How to Evaluate Finfluencer Claims: A Critical Thinking Framework

Finfluencers are everywhere. They share portfolios, recommend strategies, post returns, and offer opinions on markets with the confidence of seasoned professionals. Some have millions of followers. Some have credentials. Some have neither.

Markets9 min read
7

Evaluating Investing Claims Online: A Due Diligence Framework

Online investing content is shaped by incentives and selective evidence. A simple framework, focused on claims, counterfactuals, and conflicts of interest, helps separate education from persuasion.

Behaviour7 min read
8

Common Scam Scripts: Recognising the Patterns Before You Fall for Them

Scammers are not creative. They use the same scripts, recycled and refined, because the scripts work. The details change (names, platforms, current events) but the underlying structure remains constant.

Foundations10 min read
9

Beginner Investing Mistakes: A Checklist and Why They Happen

Beginner investing mistakes are rarely about intelligence. They are usually about incentives, attention, and predictable behavioural biases. A checklist helps surface the most common failure modes before they show up in real money.

Behaviour6 min read

Illuminvest provides general educational information only and does not provide personal financial advice.