My 7 year journey investing - how to pay a huge price for free general advice

TLDR: buy index, don’t sell, but you already know that.

as most ambitious young people wanting to make a quick buck, I thought Im smarter than the market and bought individual stocks. when one was hot, I bought it, when it dipped, I panicked and sold.

I learnt from the mistake of panic selling, and I was able to endure my portfolio being negative (-20% bottom) for a year, and it paid off, it became positive eventually.

I broke again, panic sold a year ago a large chunk that hit me hard, and started dcaig (buying back the stocks I sold for cheap bit by bit more expensive every day).

The thought put in my head by Everything around my about the AI bubble keeps causing stress.

I sold as needed money for something else, leaving only sp500 and all world, and it was a huge relief.

I finally gave up. I’m done chasing higher than markst returns, and fooling myself that I’m smarter than the market. There is a chance for it, and I was actually able to outperform the market massively on one of my accounts (invested in tech 1.5 years ago, and I forgot about it), getting 50% returns, but it’s simply not worth it in exchange For the stress of what if.

Investing is boring, and it’s the way it’s supposed to be. If I want to gamble at least I can have fun in a casino or something.

I know I won’t be able to convince anyone against stock picking, and this sub may be the most incorrect place for it, but i see some posts about “which stock should I invest in”. Stock picking for me was a very valuable and expensive lesson to teach me not to do it. Your call if you want to pay it from your money, or from thousands of investors before you.