WHAT TYPE ARE YOU? Add up your answers.

If you mostly answered A, you’re an Artisan. That means you are freewheeling and daring. If B, you’re an Idealist. You care less about money than other goals. If C, you’re a guardian and you tend to be cautious with your money. And if D, you’re a Rational. You make most decisions by the numbers. What does that tell you about yourself? And what mistakes are you most likely to make?

ARTISANS

Traits: You trust your gut where matters of money are concerned. You enjoy the thrill of investing, act quickly on buying opportunities and are comfortable taking risks.

Most common mistake: You either don’t plan for the long term of lack the discipline necessary to meet the goals you set.

How to fix it: Go ahead and build a portfolio heavy in stocks, but confirm your gut feelings with research and diversify adequately – just in case you’re wrong. And, because you’re not big in self-discipline, guard against your desire to follow every impulse.

IDEALISTS

Traits: You focus on helping others and improving society rather than on getting rich.

Most common mistake: Ignoring your money. Because you’re not interested in your finances you probably fail to reach your financial goals. Why? You don’t set any. You also often forget to pay bills.

How to fix it: Sign up for automatic bill payment and online banking. And put your investing on autopilot. Elect to have a certain percentage of your money plunked into a 401(k) and discretionary investment account every month. By not obsessing over your portfolio, you’re less likely to follow the crowd in and out of the market at the wrong time.

GUARDIANS

Traits: Disciplined and patient, enjoy organizing and planning ahead.

Most common mistake: Being too cautious. You tend to investigate investments thoroughly – sometimes too thoroughly – before committing. Caution is likely to rule your portfolio. You often prefer fixed-income investments to relatively volatile equities. But having a decent chunk of equities in your portfolio is important if you want to keep pace with the markets today.

How to fix it: Use an asset allocation tool to figure out the right investment mix for you. Or follow the rule of 100:100 minus your age is the amount (approximately) you should have in stocks.

RATIONALS

Traits: You enjoy problem solving and fact finding and have a deep interest in science and technology.

Most common mistake: You’re overconfident in your ability to outthink the market. In the late ‘90s, people like you were certain the tech stocks would continue to climb, and lost badly when the bubble burst.

How to fix it: Try investing in, and sticking with, index funds rather than your own picks. If you want to take a big risk, take it with a small amount – 5 percent or so – of your money. That way even if you do lose, you won’t get trounced.