Bruce Roberts

I STUDIED MATH AND statistics at university. When I mentioned my academic focus at parties, eyes would glaze over as fellow students looked for a way to extricate themselves from the conversation.
To lighten the mood, I’d say I was studying statistics to learn how to get rich in the stock market. In truth, I had no idea what I was talking about, but it sounded good and would often break the ice. Still,

BEFORE I RETIRED TWO years ago, my first thought—as a software engineer—was to come up with a detailed project plan. But that proved too difficult. Instead, I decided to settle on some tenets to guide my retirement.
To aid in my thinking, I listened to podcasts and bought books. The usual list of prerequisites for a successful retirement were clear: financial means, good health and a robust social network.
I worried most about the last item.

MY FATHER, WHO DIED in 2007, collected coins in a haphazard fashion through the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s. I believe he did this in the hope they’d appreciate significantly in value. In other words, he did it as an investment, not as a coin collector pursuing a hobby.
I’ve now been assigned the family task of “seeing what we can get” for Dad’s coins. As an investor in the stock market, I’m curious: Did my father’s efforts pay off—or would he have been better off putting the money into stocks?