As an investor, whether in real estate, stocks, bonds or mutual funds, one always wonders where they would rank against other investors.

Are the investment decisions you make sound?

Are the stocks held in your portfolio good buys?

Are your convictions and perceptions about certain companies and industries accurate?

Read on and find out.

Recently I asked myself the same questions and I stumbled upon the following traits of great investors as I trolled the internet;

• Great investors can identify and buy undervalued securities.
• Great investors are able to stick to their investment objectives. If one has specific risk and return objectives one should construct their portfolio in line with these and stick to them.

• Great investors learn from past mistakes.
• Great investors have a system for managing risk; they know their risk tolerance (either risk averse or risk seeking) and implement this as part of their portfolios.
• Great investors have the courage to sell; they can tell when a share has reached its peak and is set to fall and can sell against market expectations.
• Great investors ask great questions.
• Great investors don’t publicly take credit for the success of their investments, even if they were major drivers of that success
• Great investors are organised; show up for meetings on time and don’t spend the meeting using their phones.

With this in mind are you a great investor? In all honesty, I’m not... not yet.