Hi,
so I've bought the following stocks right after I finished school and started earning some money before I started attending university around 2020:
Zscaler, UI Patch, Roku, Digital Ocean, Upstart Holdings, Teamviewer, Docusign, Fiverr, Unity Software
Back then I thought it was a smart idea to invest the little money I had from the part time jobs I was working to "get a head start" into adult life.
The problem was that I definitely didnt do any research on the stocks I bought. I let myself be guided by articles from unreputable sources and people whose interest was simply to get you to buy their subscription for "stock recommendations" and literally paid the price,
The total amount of 2200€ I invested back then are only worth 1000€ today.
Luckily, I learned a lot since then, gratuated, started investing a fixed amount of money into the S&P on a monthly basis and bought a few stocks I actually did my own research on. Basically, I turned it around and I am now much happier with how my portfolio looks today than it did around 5~6 years ago.
Still, everytime I scroll down to these stocks in my portfolio I get embarrased of my own actions and even though I know it would be the correct move, it's hard to sell these stocks at a loss.
I know that by selling I have to finally admit to myself that my actions were stupid, and that's not easy. Sure, the amount of money is small compared to my portfolio today or what I earn now that I have a good job, but when it comes to these stocks my mind goes back to 2020 version of myself when I sent money from my regular banking account into my investment account for the first time and feeling Like a king for investing into the stock market that I Always heard about in the news. Somehow it kept me from acting rationally all these years.
Anyway, feel free to laugh at me for crying over losing 1200€ but also feel free to share your own story or words of advise, I'll gladly read them!
Good luck!
Help me gather the courage to finally bite the bullet and let go of the mistakes I made years ago
byu/Cykliptus instocks
Posted by Cykliptus
13 Comments
Sure, but like you said, it’s a small amount relatively.
You could hold for a while and see if they go up.
You could also tax loss harvest it and take hams someone else. Usually good to do in December…
i have been in market for only 1.5 yr and i have lost more than you its fine bro. it happens but i am still holding my bags and will hold em indefinitely because i know these companies and i trust em
A lot of people sell right near the end of the year so they can claim the loss on their taxes. You can also sell them to directly fund an IRA which has some tax benefits too, since you can only get so much tax benefits from an IRA each year, I’ve heard people do this to top off their account if they have already made the max yearly contribution.
I’m no account or tax specialist, but I’d personally hold them unless I had a specific reason to sell them, like one of those I listed or some other reason.
I lost like 30k when I was 22.
All work I did from 12 to 22 was for nothing. Thousands of hours.
How such a simple choice ruined my life instead of being financially stable for always.
You only need to pay attention to the overall value of your portfolio. It’s highly likely not all of the stocks that you pick, assuming you pick individual stocks, will all be in the green, all of the time, for all time. Just pay attention to the account value and you’re golden
Psst, there is a white elephant nobody mentions out loud: Stock market exact a learning fee from time to time, even with experienced traders. So welcome to the club.
You should have sold them not only now, but a lot earlier.
Pretty small potatoes your taking about here.
I would frame it this way… that money you lost was your education about investing. You can now take that money and put it into something better that your more educated about. I guarantee that letting go of those shitty assets will be a huge weight of your shoulders that you never have to look at again.
My “education” was GME embarrassingly enough. In the end I came out of it pretty unscathed as I only had a few hundred in it and sold at close to a break even point (I’ve kept 1 stock for fun). Thinking about it now, I’m pretty embarrassed to have been involved in a meme stock, but also happy that it was what got me motivated to learn more about investing and what not to do.
I’m doing pretty well now with a decently sized portfolio that’s beating the market average. I’ve still made a few small mistakes along the way and might make a few more, but I know how to take risk now and what are scams.
I lost 10k in my first year of investing. LUNR fucked me up when they landed sideways in Feb or march whenever it was. Then trump tariffs. I had to sell because I needed some cash unexpectedly.
I made it all back and then some since July last year. Shit happens mate. Live and learn, where you are now isn’t where you’ll always be.
Personally I’d cut your losses and invest elsewhere.
You might want to consider keeping $DOCU. Might be a long term winner and benefit from AI if they leverage it properly.
We all make mistakes, keep buying more to drown them
The only embarrassing thing from here forward is holding the bag. If you just had the cash would you buy those stocks today?
i lost 100k last year in memecoins, basically all my savings
if that helps u feel better