Type 2 Investor

Superman has a compulsion to save the world, even if it means paying for it with his own life. By the same token, Type 2 investors may be operating with the same script, minus the power to come back from the dead. Such a tendency can place them in compromising positions when it comes to finances. They may find it hard to say no when approached by friends or family for loans or capital to seed their businesses. Proposals like rescue financing – especially if they involve the kind of corporations that Type Twos feel sentimental towards – may resonate more with their emotions than merited.

While personal investing can and should involve multiple other parties – including financial advisors or planners, bankers, friends, spouses, other family members – the risk to Type 2 investors is having too many cooks in the kitchen. Rather than asserting their own objectives, relationships with multiple parties muddle the picture. 

Iconic character Gordon Gekko of Wall Street says greed is good. No other Enneagram type will find this statement to be more distasteful than Type Twos. They pride themselves on being noble people who like to help others and develop meaningful relationships. Self-enrichment as a concept is analogous to a virus invading their immune system – it just feels wrong and needs to be purged. An inward look at one’s own fiscal needs hence feels awkward. 

As giving and generous Type Two investors can be, they want and need to see returns, whether they admit it or not. Even if it is an unequivocal gift, Type Twos still need to feel they are making an impact for reasons they care about. When investments fail to appreciate, it is okay for Type Twos to feel disappointment – it does not signify unacceptable greed. 

Focusing on others may serve as a distraction for some Type 2 investors. When it comes to money, they may not want to realize how close or far along they are to building their own financial safety nets, partly because they may not possess sufficient self-confidence. So, they turn outwards because it is something they are used to doing, but that automatic response takes them further away from building a personal repertoire in financial savviness.

With such an outward focus on the needs of others, it is no wonder that the two pivots for Type Twos are the introspective Type Four (Individualist) and the dynamic Type Eight (Challenger). Both provide useful counterbalances.