It pays to take a long-term view when investing. What do you think will be the biggest trend in the decade ahead?

You want “long term” from Generation X? Seriously? What, like using a slow-cooker to make tonight’s dinner? Why?

Have mobile phone. Can dial delivery. Dinner done. Two minutes. Back to my iPad Pacman.

At Planet X, we don’t do long term. We think in minutes, maybe hours. Famous for it. Or were, until Gen Y showed up – attention spans measured in bytes and nano-seconds.

But, damnit, something happened on the way to Nirvana. Tin lids. Monster mortgages. Timeframes blown to smithereens.

Then the longest-term investment in history – superannuation – was thrust on us. Goes on and on for, like, ever! Want. Now.

Picking long-term investment trends? Most turn to fluff, or collapse just as the public get wind.

It started with tulip-mania in the 17^th century. Skip forward 400 years for tech booms, BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China) funds, resources booms, gold and Aussie dollars, just in the last decade.

My favourite was BT’s Technology Fund, launched to mug punters in March 2003 – the month the “tech boom” turned “tech wreck”. Awesome timing.

You want predictions? Check the internet. They’re largely about catering to booming global populations. Food, energy (oil, green and nuclear), technology and Asia’s mega-middle-class story.

Gen X’s best investment trend over the next decade? Easy.

You.

Invest in your home. Pay down your mortgage. Invest as much as you can in shares and property. Forget investment trends. Buy index funds.

You’ll win. Probably be in the top half. And that’s better than being the idiot who started investing in technology stocks, or tulips, or the Aussie dollar, or … at the wrong time.

Bruce Brammall is the author of Debt Man Walking (www.debtman.com.au) and principal adviser with Castellan Financial Consulting.