There is no significance in the magnitude of the totals scored on the PIP, only in the spread and the order - your dominant type (the one with the highest score) being the most important.

A good profile is where there is a differentiation of types, neither too close nor too wildly spaced apart. What this means is that under different circumstances you have the ability to draw on different personality traits, giving you a flexible outlook.

Within the profile, each dominant investor type can have a possible propensity for risk set at one of three levels: low, medium or high. Here, 'risk propensity' means the amount of risk an individual would feel comfortable with when they have invested their money. With a low risk propensity you will feel comfortable with a least aggressive investment approach. With a medium risk propensity, a more active investment approach can be taken. While with a high risk propensity, a far more aggressive investment approach can be taken.

Your investor type together with your propensity for risk will dictate certain classes of investment to choose or avoid, as well as how active you want to be. So, if you don’t want to take on the responsibility for managing your investments, then a passive approach - with fixed rate deposits, or a quality unit trust or managed fund - is an avenue to explore. With an active approach, however, you take responsibility for choosing your own investments. Here, value strategies can be highly profitable. At the extreme of risk propensity are speculative investments such as small cap stocks, derivatives and commodities. While for the exceptionally wealthy, there are hedge funds. More detailed information about risk - how to handle it, how to identify it, and the different sorts of risk - can be found in the book Profits Without Panic: Investment Psychology For personal Wealth by Jonathan Myers.

Overall, the important thing to remember is that these investor types - and their sub-divisions of risk propensity - are neither good nor bad but simply point the way to better quality investing. So, for example, if you feel you need to become more Informed, make the effort to do so. If you're overly Emotional as well, then try to think through your actions - or inactions - in a colder and more logical manner. If your main tendency is to be Casual about investing then go into something that carries lower risk and can be left alone for long periods of time under the guidance of a professional organization with good credentials. The suggestions of asset classes on this site will help you to focus on profitable avenues to explore. In other words, every type of investment personality can be guided towards higher financial returns; it's just a question of knowing yourself a little better and capitalizing on your innate psychological tendencies.