What Type of Avenger Investor Are You?

After years of thrilling entertainment, the Avengers saga has finally come to a close in a truly spectacular and thrilling fashion. With the ultimate battle waged, we can only hope that our favorite superheroes head off to a well-earned retirement. If so, we hope that they’ve prepared well for their respective financial futures since there’s probably no Avenger pension plan. The question made us wonder — hypothetically, just what kind of investors might some of our favorite Marvel characters be based on their personalities and special skills? And don’t worry, if you haven’t seen Endgame yet, you’ll find no spoilers here!

The Hulk. Our gargantuan green friend would find himself drawn to the bulging valuations of large-cap stocks and mutual funds. Believing in the ultimate power of companies with capitalizations of at least 10 billion dollars, we bet he’d love the massive profits earned by Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, Bank of America and Exxon. Size definitely matters to this big guy.

Iron Man: Tony Stark has clearly made significant investments in technology over the years that have helped him become the man he is today. So it should come as no surprise if we learned that Iron Man, the investor, would lean toward companies involved in software, information technology, semiconductors, nanotechnology and biotech. Iron Man is confident that tech and AI will dominate in the future.

Captain America. A proud investor in classic blue chip stocks, he appreciates that so many of these companies represent solid, all-American brands — like IBM, Coca-Cola, McDonalds, Walmart and Disney. We think he’d prefer investing in tried and true businesses, especially if they offer historically dependable dividend income, and add stability to his portfolio. Captain America doesn’t mind if his investment choices seem a bit old-fashioned or even stodgy — after all he’s a traditional guy.

Ant Man. With his unique superpower to miniaturize, he knows that sometimes being small can have big advantages. So Ant Man would quite naturally accumulate small-cap stocks in his retirement portfolio — these would represent companies with valuations anywhere from around 300 million to 2 billion dollars. Ant Man knows there are opportunities out there only available to the little guy, so we think he’ll bet on them.

Hawkeye. This archer always has his eye on the target. And because of his singular focus, we think he’d find target date funds (TDFs) a very appealing option. TDFs are designed with a specific retirement date in mind and rebalance periodically to reduce risk as the target date approaches. Hawkeye knows that, in the end, what really matters when it comes to investing is whether or not you hit your target.

Groot. An earthy guy through and through, Groot has the power to control plants and trees and regenerate his woody limbs. We believe he’d be a natural when it comes to green investing. With their eco-friendly focus, his favorite companies might profit in developing renewable, clean energy sources such as wind and solar, or work toward conservation and waste-reduction technologies. Groot is interested in earning his green while helping keep the planet that way too.

Dr. Strange. This saucy sorcerer can cast spells, create illusions and has mystical abilities including teleportation and astral projection — where he can free himself from his physical body. So we think he’d like investing in cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, a form of electronic cash that isn’t “mined” physically in the ground, but in cyberspace by powerful computers solving complex mathematical problems. While US currency was once backed by gold and now by the full faith and credit of the Federal Government, the “real” value of cryptocurrency is a bit of an open question that only time will answer. Until then, our guess is that Dr. Strange will be all in on this new-fangled type of investment.

Thanos. This Marvel supervillain gains power through destruction. He’d be the penultimate contrarian investor, seeking to gain opportunity through the downfall of global markets. He feeds on negative energy and sentiment, and believes hoarding gold, precious metals and other prized commodities (like Infinity Stones) will give him power, protection and ultimately — victory.

So which type of superhero investor would you be? Are you drawn to large-cap stocks? Does technology or bitcoin excite you? Or would you rather mix things up but keep your eye on the target with a TDF? Whatever your preference, remember that the ultimate “endgame” is financial security — and investing your money is far too important a decision to make based on comic book characters.

Also don’t forget, the Avengers have shown us that even superheroes are stronger working together — so it’s wise to take a diversified approach when it comes to investing for retirement, and not put all your eggs in one basket. Because after all, if you get it wrong when in comes to managing your money, it’s not very likely that Captain America will swoop in and pay off all your credit cards to save the day!

When it comes to your investing style, which Marvel Avenger would you be most like? Take a lighthearted look at where we think some of our favorite superheroes would park their funds? #NFP