Barry Ritholtz, Columnist

Rich Buy Real Estate, Poor Want Gold

The types of things people choose to invest in says a lot about who they are.

April 22, 2014 at 12:17 PM UTC

Barry Ritholtz is a former Bloomberg Opinion columnist. He is chairman and chief investment officer of Ritholtz Wealth Management, and was previously chief market strategist at Maxim Group. He is the author of “Bailout Nation.”

Does this look like a good investment? Photographer: Kiyoshi Ota/Bloomberg

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If you want to know what someone's views of society are, ask what they believe is the best long-term investment.

I am fascinated each year when Gallup Poll asks Americans to choose the best option among real estate, stocks and mutual funds, gold, savings accounts and CDs, or bonds. The results are a pop psychologist's dream of cognitive issues, belief systems and ideologies. See the following chart: