Investors are classified as either: Cautious, Emotional, Technical, Busy, Casual or Informed. This is their dominant investor 'type'. No one type is necessarily better or worse than another, but simply a reflection of inner attitudes and character. In fact, investors often embody elements of all the types in combination; which makes for a complex individual with a unique investment personality. This is revealed by the PIP in a comprehensive profile. Furthermore, all types can be the basis of financial success when a degree of self-awareness is achieved.

Each investor type has particular characteristics:

• The Cautious Investor - Very conservative, this investor has a need for financial security. They will avoid high-risk ventures as well as listening to professional advice, preferring to conduct their own financial affairs. They don't like to lose even small amounts of money and never rush into investments, always giving financial opportunities a great deal of thought.

• The Emotional Investor - Easily attracted to fashionable investments or 'hot' tips, these investors act with their heart and not their head. A whim or a gut feeling leads their decisions, and they have great difficulty disengaging from poor investments or cutting losses. They have an unreasonable belief that things will come right in the end and often put their trust in luck or 'providence' to safeguard their financial assets.

• The Technical Investor - Hard facts - numbers - lead this type of investor to active trading based on price movements. They are screen-watchers, sometimes obsessional, but their diligence can be rewarded if they spot trends. They may also have a tendency to 'need' and buy the latest technology as they are always looking for some edge.

• The Busy Investor - This investor needs to be involved with the markets, and it gives them a buzz when they check the latest price movements, which may be several times a day. They have to keep buying and selling - on rumors, on overheard gossip, from the mass of newspapers and magazines they collect. Any tidbit of information they can glean is imbued with significance and a cause to take financial action.

• The Casual Investor - A laid-back attitude to investment, this investor is often hardworking and involved with work or family. They tend to believe that once an investment is made it will take care of itself, and that a good job or a profession is the way to make real money. They easily forget that they own investment assets and rarely check on their financial affairs. And, though they may leave the running of their investments to professional advisors, they haven't been in contact with them for years.

• The Informed Investor - Uses information from a variety of sources and keeps an ongoing watch on their investments, the markets and the economy. This investor listens carefully to financial opinions and expert assessments, and will only go against market fashion, as a contrarian, after weighing up all the pros and cons. Though they may sometimes procrastinate and miss the best opportunities - due to the feeling that they must get ever-more information before deciding what to do - they are in general financially confident and have faith in their decisions once made, believing that knowledge and experience will always win out to give them long-term profits.