I’m not looking for judgment—I’ve already been incredibly hard on myself. I’ve made some poor decisions and followed advice that didn’t serve me well.
Although I did my research, I didn’t sell in time and now I’m feeling the weight of those choices. If anyone is willing to share any guidance or thoughts on what I can do moving forward, I’d truly appreciate it.
I know I made mistakes, but I’m hoping to learn and do better from here.
First off, let’s get something straight: there’s no shame in what happened. You took your swing, you tried to do your research, and now you’re facing the consequences. That’s not weakness—that’s part of the process. Every investor, if they’re being honest, has a scar or two from getting it wrong. What matters is whether you learn from it or just beat yourself up and keep repeating the cycle.
The truth is, buying individual stocks is seductive. It makes you feel smart. In control. Like you’ve cracked some code the rest of the world hasn’t figured out yet. But more often than not, it’s just rolling dice in a casino with better lighting. Even if you win a few hands, the house always wins over time.
The market is full of distractions. Hype cycles. Hot tips. Flashy stories about some guy turning $10k into a million by buying the right meme stock. That stuff is intoxicating. And dangerous. Because for every winner they show you, there are thousands of quiet losers who never get featured on Reddit or YouTube. The game was never rigged in your favor if you were playing with individual stocks.
Here’s something few people will tell you: you don’t need to be brilliant to build wealth. You just need a simple, repeatable system—and the emotional strength to stick with it.
Stock picking is not a system. It’s a gamble dressed up as strategy. Timing the market? Same thing. Nobody consistently does it right—not even the professionals with teams of analysts and supercomputers. So the idea that someone working a job or going to school can outthink the market in their spare time is just… not reality. And it’s not a personal failing—it’s a setup.
So what should you actually do?
Start by draining the poison. Liquidate the individual stocks if you’re emotionally anchored to them and they’re warping your perspective. If they’re down and you’re holding out hope just to “get back to even,” that’s a psychological trap called loss aversion. Don’t fall for it. Every dollar you keep tied up in a bad investment is a dollar that could be growing somewhere smarter.
Next, build your emergency fund—3 to 6 months of living expenses. That gives you breathing room and helps prevent emotional decision-making when life inevitably throws a curveball.
Then, invest in broad-based, low-cost index funds. VTSAX, FSKAX, SWTSX—there are many that do the same thing. These funds own a slice of every publicly traded company in the U.S. market. No need to guess which one will win. When the market goes up, so do you. And over the long run, it almost always goes up.
Automate your investments. Dollar-cost average. Contribute every month, whether the market is up or down. And don’t touch it. No chasing headlines. No panic selling. Just a slow, steady march forward.
The biggest gains don’t come from picking winners. They come from time in the market, not timing the market. Someone who starts investing at 20 and stays in until they’re 60—just plugging away with index funds and ignoring the noise—will almost always beat the person who jumps in and out trying to be clever.
And here’s the most important thing: forgive yourself. This isn’t a failure. It’s a beginning. You’ve been humbled, which means your ego won’t get in the way next time. That’s a gift. Many people never get that.
So breathe. Start over. And follow the simple path.
It works. It always has. And it always will.