Past investment mistakes

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Aggieland
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Past investment mistakes

Post by Aggieland »

Any suggestions on coping and dealing with past major investment mistakes? Its hard not to ruminate and deal with the anxieties it causes.

How did you cope with major investment mistakes, if any?

Thanks
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squirrel1963
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by squirrel1963 »

I made lots of mistakes before becoming a Boglehead, DW and I had vested stock options from dot com companies and other high tech stocks in early 2000. We got greedy and to make a long story short we lost probably $2m which was a lot money back then and still is now. We ended up okay but every time I see anyone on BH talk about market timing or anything other than low cost index funds I remind myself that it doesn't pay out. But the losses we had in 2000 still sting, we could have retired in 2010 if we hadn't lost that much.
It's hard not to think about it but it doesn't give me anxiety because we ended up okay even though I worked 10 more years than needed. I'm not even sure I would have been happy with early retirement.
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Van
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by Van »

If my experience can be generalized, any investor that has been at it for a long time (55 years in my case) will make many bad decisions over the years. All you can do is try to learn from your mistakes. Beating yourself up for past mistakes will not help, although it is hard not to be overly critical when your decisions have caused very significant losses.
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by LadyGeek »

This thread is now in the Investing - Theory, News & General forum (general discussion).
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by sschullo »

Mistakes:
  • starting late
    annuities
    overconfident
    greedy when I had "enough"
    sector investing and too aggressive 95% stock fund AA
    individual stocks
    complicated portfolio with 30 funds of unnecessary overlapping
Corrections;
  • got rid of all annuities
    broad market index funds
    low-cost indices
    expecting reasonable returns, anything over the averages is speculation
    stock/bond split appropriate for age and willingness to take equity risk
    VERY BORING portfolio!!!!!!!!!!!
Never in the history of market day-traders’ has the obsession with so much massive, sophisticated, & powerful statistical machinery used by the brightest people on earth with such useless results.
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arcticpineapplecorp.
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by arcticpineapplecorp. »

it's a sunk cost. there's nothing that can be done about it because it's happened, it's in the past, and there's no taking it back. only thing to do is learn so you don't repeat and pass on what you've learned to others in the hope of others avoiding similar mistakes.

give your self a break, some compassion. If you knew better then, you wouldn't have done it. You didn't know better until now.
It's hard to accept the truth when the lies were exactly what you wanted to hear. Investing is simple, but not easy. Buy, hold & rebalance low cost index funds & manage taxable events. Asking Portfolio Questions | Wiki
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tennisplyr
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by tennisplyr »

You can’t change the past, we all make mistakes, hopefully you learn from them. Not healthy to keep beating yourself up.
“Those who move forward with a happy spirit will find that things always work out.” -Retired 13 years 😀
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riverant
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by riverant »

Aggieland wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:03 pm Any suggestions on coping and dealing with past major investment mistakes? Its hard not to ruminate and deal with the anxieties it causes.

How did you cope with major investment mistakes, if any?

Thanks
You could post whatever it was and wait for a poster to tell you it isn’t major compared to theirs.

From my perspective, focus on the positives elsewhere in your life and guard against the risk of sitting in your living room 15 years from now ruminating against the opportunities that you missed in present day because you were busy brooding
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climber2020
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by climber2020 »

Aggieland wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:03 pm Any suggestions on coping and dealing with past major investment mistakes? Its hard not to ruminate and deal with the anxieties it causes.
Define "mistake" and you will get better advice.

We occasionally get posts here like "I sold my bitcoin in 2015, and if I hadn't made that mistake, then I'd have a billion dollars now"; many people erroneously believe that stuff like this legitimately qualifies as a mistake.

Actual mistakes: buying inappropriate life insurance, overpaying a financial advisor, spending more than you save, choosing the wrong AA and not being able to stay the course as as result.
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burritoLover
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by burritoLover »

Aggieland wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:03 pm Any suggestions on coping and dealing with past major investment mistakes? Its hard not to ruminate and deal with the anxieties it causes.

How did you cope with major investment mistakes, if any?

Thanks
If you have that mentality (dwelling on the past mistakes and getting anxious about it), you probably do the same in your personal life - in which case you more need a psychologist than advice from this forum.
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by z3r0c00l »

Depends how bad, if you basically have zero net worth, you are still better off than 10% of people who have negative net worth. Starting from zero in this country is common and not a terrible spot to be in. The way to get over this is to count your blessings. Are you healthy? Have a decent job or the ability to land one? Have time left to save up and meet your goals? Can you afford shelter and food?
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Silk McCue
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by Silk McCue »

Mistakes are very easy to see in the rear view mirror and I have plenty. I made a conscious decision to cut myself some slack knowing that time travel is impossible and that agonizing over the past will only rob me of my present and future joy.

Cheers
niagara_guy
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by niagara_guy »

I made lots of bone headed financial mistakes. When I got to 40 I knew I had to start saving for retirement so when I got a job that offered a 401k I put in enough to get the match, later got it up to 15% since I got a late start. Now I am retired, will never run out of money.

I don't know how I 'got over' making the mistakes. I guess I just knew that I had to get serious about saving for retirement and live without some of the luxuries other people were buying.
gavinsiu
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by gavinsiu »

When I started investment, I started with a sector fund, chased returns, and do a bunch of other stuff that were stupid. Yet I felt that the experience taught me a lot. The sector fund exposed me to volatility which allow me to be agressive in my asset allocation (ironically less agressive since I started out with a sector fund). I was able to understand my limitations and learn to be more systematic.

Life is about making mistake, learning from them and building our experience. If we fear making mistake, we will never step forward. Just make sure you don't make the same mistake twice, and research a bit ahead of time to make sure we are taking the right path in the first place.

Time will also shift our perspective. The mistake you make years ago might not be considered to be all that big a few years down the road. It's like when you were in high school and the most important thing at the time was to get a date for the prom, but then a few years down the road, you don't even think much of it.
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Sandtrap
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by Sandtrap »

Aggieland wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:03 pm Any suggestions on coping and dealing with past major investment mistakes?

Its hard not to ruminate and deal with the anxieties it causes.

How did you cope with major investment mistakes, if any?

Thanks
To OP:
First:

1. What do you want to do. . . ?
Forget mistakes ever happened?
Stop feeling bad or stupid about it forever?
Stop having past mistakes impact decisions and conduct and thinking now and in the future making one "scared", "timid" or live timidly, etc?
Etc?

2. "Ruminate" means to turn things over and over, keep digesting it (cows ruminate). . Anxiety is self destructive. . .

3. However. . . regret, anxiety, and rumination, can become self defining, and addictive. . . like the lost love that got away, the first love that was great in our minds and hearts but not the reality. . what coulda, shoulda, woulda. . .etc.. .

4. So. . . actionably:
Are you self defined and now have an identity that you display to others, like a trophy or war hero medal?
ie: I made this 5 million real estate deal and coulda been wealthy but. . . . let me tell you my story. . because I don't have success stories. . .
ie: I made this 10 million dollar deal and it got away. . . so I know all about big dollar deals and let me give you my profound advice as knower of these things. . and more. . .

Are you going to be. . "that guy". . . ?

Second:

1. There is no such thing as a failure or loss that means failure or loss as a "person" or "self". It's just an event, a passing event.

Just learn from it. Move on in "action" and in "thought". . focus forward. . not back. . . actionably. . .

Examples:

A. I missed out on buying 3 rental buildings at under 1 mil per 9 years ago. . . I mention it in conversation as needed to other R/E developers now retired or as an example, as needed, but it doesn't define me.
But, I do occasionally enjoy "kicking myself" about it.. but less over the years.

B. I made several R/E investment mistakes, some lasted many years to recover. . . most I no longer kick myself over. . it happened. . . so. . be selective which of your regrets you choose to kick yourself over. . choose only the best ones.

2. Have a sense of humor.
a) those who take themselves too seriously. . . we all know who they are. . don't be that guy. .
b) those who take themselves and everything too seriously. . carry a heavy self perceived weight of self importance. . . don't be that guy. . why?

To OP:
Read:
"Life Code" and "Life Strategy" by Dr. Phil McGraw (amazon softcover). . wear them out, yellow marker, pencil, dog ears.
"As A Man Thinketh". . . buy the hardcover. . .wear it out. . read it lst thing in the morning and evening last every day for 1 year.

Focus forward:
Post a portfolio review on this forum and let's get busy ending up better financially, etc, than you ever have even if you never made any of those "ruminating" financial mistakes in the past.

To OP:
stop "ruminating". . it creates uncomfortable gas and bloat. . and makes it tough to sleep at night. . .

pm me as you wish
j :D

dis laimer: zillions of paths to things and opinionizations based on nil to zero to extensive personal and professional experience. This is only one.

ps: I hope "dave55" chimes in as he has the professional experience to source great real advice vs opinionization and the Gulf Streams to prove it.
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Dave55
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by Dave55 »

I got 3 PHD's in investing mistakes, or to put it another way, trying all kinds of investments in order to do better than the market itself. Hedge funds, managed future funds, private REIT's, private RE partnerships, individual stocks, CEF's, managed mutual funds. I bought high and sold low at times, tried to time the market and failed miserably. I graduated with a failing grade. :wink: I now own 2 index funds for stocks and 2-3 bond funds and that's it. I don't think about what I did, or could have done or should have done. I think an attitude and intention to live in the present is helpful, as opposed to living in the past.

Dave
Last edited by Dave55 on Mon Aug 08, 2022 10:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Tamalak
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by Tamalak »

None of us are born knowing how to invest. It's not a skill our genes prepare us for. Therefore investing wrong isn't a "mistake", it's just a skill that has not been developed, until you work to develop it.

It's like asking how do I get over the fact that I didn't walk for the first year of my life. You're not supposed to.. you were a baby!
Mike Scott
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by Mike Scott »

I have paid good money for education in what I don't want to ever do again... Other than that, I generally don't think that much about past mistakes that I can't do anything about anyway. Maybe it's a personality trait combined with trying to figure new things out before jumping in without a plan.
mr_brightside
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by mr_brightside »

learn a lesson and move on.

ruminating does not solve anything. in fact it can make things worse.

experience can be a great teacher. :beer

--------------------------------------------
statman
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by statman »

Many long years ago, when I was in grad school, my friend the electrical engineering hardware guru returned from a trade show raving about Viatron Computer Systems. Everyone was going to want one. So I bought a few shares. Viatron could not source the large scale integrated circuits needed in sufficient quantity to produce their device. They went bankrupt in four years.

The lessons are obvious, starting with do your research rather than buying on a tip and ending with DIVERSIFY.
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arcticpineapplecorp.
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by arcticpineapplecorp. »

here's a suggestion:

What would you say to a close friend/relative you care deeply about who posed the following question to you:

"Its hard not to ruminate and deal with the anxieties it causes. How did you cope with major investment mistakes, if any?"

Whatever you'd say to them, that's what you need to hear.
It's hard to accept the truth when the lies were exactly what you wanted to hear. Investing is simple, but not easy. Buy, hold & rebalance low cost index funds & manage taxable events. Asking Portfolio Questions | Wiki
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Cash is King
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by Cash is King »

My suggestion is don't be a rear view mirror person. We all make mistakes. Learn from your mistakes. Correct your mistakes and move forward.


:sharebeer
Fallible
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by Fallible »

Aggieland wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:03 pm Any suggestions on coping and dealing with past major investment mistakes? Its hard not to ruminate and deal with the anxieties it causes.

How did you cope with major investment mistakes, if any?

Thanks
I noticed that your first post on the forum last year mentioned regret over mistakes made. Are these the same or similar mistakes you refer to now? Whatever, I see some smart moves you are making that can help you achieve perspective, such as being on this forum, plans to attend your Bogleheads local chapter meetings, and apparently signed up for the BH ‘22 conference this fall.
"Yes, investing is simple. But it is not easy, for it requires discipline, patience, steadfastness, and that most uncommon of all gifts, common sense." ~Jack Bogle
tibbitts
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by tibbitts »

Aggieland wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:03 pm Any suggestions on coping and dealing with past major investment mistakes? Its hard not to ruminate and deal with the anxieties it causes.

How did you cope with major investment mistakes, if any?

Thanks
For years there were times when I'd dwell on some of my many financial mistakes. Then the endless pandemic came along and changed life so that no matter how much money I had, life would be the same. It removed all the consequences of past financial mistakes, so now although they still mildly annoy me, I have other things to have more regrets about.
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Aggieland
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by Aggieland »

Thank you for the responses! Appreciate the perspectives.
chris319
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by chris319 »

Its hard not to ruminate and deal with the anxieties it causes.
Rule #1 of successful investing: keep your emotions out of it.

Anxiety is an emotion. You need to either discipline yourself to keep your emotions in check or get out of the game — it's the wrong game for you.

We all make mistakes, even Warren Buffett, so deal with it. You can't turn back the clock and undo your mistakes so no use fretting about it.
Financial decisions based on emotion often turn out to be bad decisions.
JDave
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by JDave »

Look at it this way: at least you recognize they were mistakes. Many people go through life making investment mistakes without ever wising up and realizing they are mistakes.
DaufuskieNate
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by DaufuskieNate »

Just to emphasize some of the great points already made, mistakes in investing and in life are just opportunities to learn. Treat them as such, and you will be way ahead of the game.
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by grabiner »

Investment mistakes are learning opportunities. Much of the advice on the Bogleheads forum is given by investors who made these mistakes in the past.

And I am not excluded from that. When I got started investing, I picked four good funds to invest in, but only one of the three that was in my taxable account (Vanguard Total Stock Market, which I still hold) belonged there. The two mistakes were Vanguard Long-Term Corporate (now Long-Term Investment-Grade) and Vanguard International Growth. This cost a small tax bill to fix once I learned more about tax-efficient investing: the bond fund belonged in my employer plan (even more important back then because yields were higher), and International Growth needed to be replaced by an index fund in a taxable account.
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BernardShakey
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by BernardShakey »

climber2020 wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:18 am
Aggieland wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:03 pm Any suggestions on coping and dealing with past major investment mistakes? Its hard not to ruminate and deal with the anxieties it causes.
Actual mistakes: buying inappropriate life insurance, overpaying a financial advisor, spending more than you save, choosing the wrong AA and not being able to stay the course as as result.
Geez, I've made every single one of these mistakes at one time or another. I knew I shouldn't have opened this thread :annoyed
An important key to investing is having a well-calibrated sense of your future regret.
heyyou
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by heyyou »

My past mistake motivated me to buckle down on my expenses, in order to save more. Consider trying to focus on a solution, instead of lamenting on your mistake.

By age 25, I could see that I only needed to work until I could afford to not work. Near age 30, I squandered my mid-five digit inheritance (more than a year's gross pay) on a get-rich-quick, leveraged real estate investment (a limited partnership) that failed. I even owed back taxes on some of its previous interest deductions, since the partnership did not complete purchasing the land. That happened to coincide with the 1980 introduction of a 401k at work, which helped me to retire 25 years later, after always maxing the annual tax-deferred contribution (then contributing more into the after tax portion) each year. The challenge was trying to reach the max tax-deferred amount, earlier each year.

Healing from my mistake, took a long time, but it did occur. When my 401k balance surpassed the amount that I had lost, that felt like a good accomplishment.
invest4
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by invest4 »

The difference between knowledge and wisdom is experience.

Hopefully, some of the input from the others have resonated for you. For myself, I have discovered that sometimes our feelings only lessen with time. This knowledge provides its own benefit. Even though the suffering may last a bit longer than I like...I know (and remind myself) it will eventually abate or end.

Best wishes.
tvubpwcisla
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by tvubpwcisla »

I will leave you with a story...

One day a Psychology Professor entered the classroom with half a glass of water in his hand. The students expected the old common question, was it half empty or half full? To their surprise he asked them, "How heavy is this glass of water?" The answers given by the students ranged from 7 ounces to 25 ounces. The professor replied, "The actual weight of the glass of water doesn't matter. What matters is how long you hold the glass in your hand. If you hold the glass for a minute you won't feel much weight; however, if you hold it for 10 minutes you will feel a little more weight and the more time goes on the heavier this glass of water will get. If you held the glass for an entire day your hands would go numb from the pain. You would have cramps and feel exhausted and your only wish would be to put down that glass of water." Similar is the case when you carry stress with you or pain. If you think about stress or pain for a while and then let it go then there is no problem but if you think about all the stress and all the pain in your life for hours and hours or even an entire day it starts becoming an issue and it becomes even worse once you fall asleep while still holding onto the pain and the stress. You see in life, in your life, you should let go of all of your stresses and pains and never lay down to sleep while still thinking about them. If you can do something about your problems then just do it. In the other case just leave it and work towards your goals or else all the stress and pain will affect your health and well being. You are in control over your life and you decide what stresses you or what pains you. Start every day with a smile on your face. I hope you enjoy this story and have a great day. You are awesome!
student
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by student »

Like most things, it just takes time to forget.
revhappy
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by revhappy »

I have made plenty of investing mistakes, basically bought something and sold it at much lower levels only to see sky rocket after I sell. Damn! Also plenty of opportunity cost, if I just stuck to a proper allocation I would have been a lot richer.

But then I just treat it as a costly tuition fees and I hope I dont make the same mistakes with the same intensity over and over again. Hopefully smaller mistakes as time goes.

Another thing is, we often think it is too late and we lost a lot of time. But it is never too late. I have been investing since 20 years and I made the most stupid mistake until 2006 and then 2008 crash happened and I thought I have lost it all and can never get it back. But even if I had done the right thing since 2008, I would be very rich now.

Even now, it is not too late. If we just stick to the basics, over next 20 years, we can do very well, but for some reason future always looks uncertain in investing and past looks like the best opportunity missed.
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by Keenobserver »

burritoLover wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:22 am
Aggieland wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:03 pm Any suggestions on coping and dealing with past major investment mistakes? Its hard not to ruminate and deal with the anxieties it causes.

How did you cope with major investment mistakes, if any?

Thanks
If you have that mentality (dwelling on the past mistakes and getting anxious about it), you probably do the same in your personal life - in which case you more need a psychologist than advice from this forum.
Ouch I think we are being a little harsh here. Its only.natural to ruminate about your past mistakes, doesnt automatically qualify for a shrink appointment. I trusted people too much with my momey. It was due to.greed and hopes of hig returns. I made $$ and also lost $$ due to this, but only often remeber the losing part and have to remind myself I also made $$.
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by burritoLover »

Keenobserver wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 3:29 pm
burritoLover wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:22 am
Aggieland wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:03 pm Any suggestions on coping and dealing with past major investment mistakes? Its hard not to ruminate and deal with the anxieties it causes.

How did you cope with major investment mistakes, if any?

Thanks
If you have that mentality (dwelling on the past mistakes and getting anxious about it), you probably do the same in your personal life - in which case you more need a psychologist than advice from this forum.
Ouch I think we are being a little harsh here. Its only.natural to ruminate about your past mistakes, doesnt automatically qualify for a shrink appointment. I trusted people too much with my momey. It was due to.greed and hopes of hig returns. I made $$ and also lost $$ due to this, but only often remeber the losing part and have to remind myself I also made $$.
Ruminating about mistakes is one thing but causing you actual anxiety as you dwell on them is another. This is not a behavior that is easily fixed with a handful of Bogle-isms. Getting professional help is not a bad thing.
JayB
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by JayB »

“There are no mistakes in life, only lessons. There is no such thing as a negative experience, only opportunities to grow, learn and advance along the road of selfmastery. From struggle comes strength. Even pain can be a wonderful teacher.”
-- Robin S. Sharma
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by KneeReplacementTutor »

Aggieland wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:03 pm Any suggestions on coping and dealing with past major investment mistakes? Its hard not to ruminate and deal with the anxieties it causes.

How did you cope with major investment mistakes, if any?

Thanks
Why lose twice (once in the "mistake" itself and once in being harsh on yourself)? Look forward to the future!
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by Fallible »

grabiner wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 8:47 pm Investment mistakes are learning opportunities. Much of the advice on the Bogleheads forum is given by investors who made these mistakes in the past. ...
So true. Mistakes are inevitable and realizing and acknowledging them are first steps to correcting them.
"Yes, investing is simple. But it is not easy, for it requires discipline, patience, steadfastness, and that most uncommon of all gifts, common sense." ~Jack Bogle
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AnnetteLouisan
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by AnnetteLouisan »

Can you share the mistake with us? Was it really so bad? Did you learn from it? Are you sure it was a mistake in the first place - could time change it?

I’m sure you were doing what you thought was best given the information you had at the time.
Silverado
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by Silverado »

I was thinking about the rise and fall and regrouping of Market Timer (too lazy to find the thread). That full story showed someone taking major lumps in real time and then getting past it.

I have recognized over time that some things are just final and unchangeable. Sports games come to mind. Stock sales are another. And so on.

God luck OP, try to learn and move on. Easy to say.
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by ddbtoth »

I visit here often to remind myself to stay the course.
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by Keenobserver »

burritoLover wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 3:39 pm
Keenobserver wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 3:29 pm
burritoLover wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:22 am
Aggieland wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:03 pm Any suggestions on coping and dealing with past major investment mistakes? Its hard not to ruminate and deal with the anxieties it causes.

How did you cope with major investment mistakes, if any?

Thanks
If you have that mentality (dwelling on the past mistakes and getting anxious about it), you probably do the same in your personal life - in which case you more need a psychologist than advice from this forum.
Ouch I think we are being a little harsh here. Its only.natural to ruminate about your past mistakes, doesnt automatically qualify for a shrink appointment. I trusted people too much with my momey. It was due to.greed and hopes of hig returns. I made $$ and also lost $$ due to this, but only often remeber the losing part and have to remind myself I also made $$.
Ruminating about mistakes is one thing but causing you actual anxiety as you dwell on them is another. This is not a behavior that is easily fixed with a handful of Bogle-isms. Getting professional help is not a bad thing.
Sure if its bad enough to affect OP's ability to function in any facet of life then yes. I just didnt get a sense of that from OP.
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firebirdparts
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by firebirdparts »

I definitely coped with them, but I have no idea how to tell you how I coped. I don't know. I guess it helps if you keep making more of them. It's pretty hard to regret 500 line items. I will say the market from 2010 to 2020 certainly helped me feel better. I definitely don't obsess. It's just not who I am. That's all I know to say about that.

Whether accumulating or retired, you really know what to do, and you can do it. You just have to make yourself do it.
This time is the same
meadowrue
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by meadowrue »

I’m a ruminator too, so I empathize. What I find helpful is to focus on the things I got right, particularly the big things. I might have missed an investment opportunity or sold a stock that then skyrocketed (done both!) but I married the right person. We live in the right city for us. We bought the right house. We have amazing kids. That means we’re rich in “life.” Investing is only one part of life.

I highly recommend the book Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff (and It’s All Small Stuff) by Richard Carlson.

Hang in there, OP.
“We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds.”—Aristotle Onassis
bagastuff
Posts: 137
Joined: Mon Apr 11, 2022 7:38 pm

Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by bagastuff »

Aggieland wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:03 pm Any suggestions on coping and dealing with past major investment mistakes? Its hard not to ruminate and deal with the anxieties it causes.

How did you cope with major investment mistakes, if any?

Thanks
Lexapro (not a joke)
GP813
Posts: 1231
Joined: Wed Dec 11, 2019 9:11 am

Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by GP813 »

My biggest regrets thankfully are buying too little when I could have bought more and selling too soon. So those are not really damaging mistakes but I think about it way too much.
barberakb
Posts: 622
Joined: Fri Apr 21, 2017 11:14 pm

Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by barberakb »

Not sure if you are a sports fan. Ever see a good quarterback that dwells on his last interception?
They don't exist... They forget about it and move on.

Here is a great quote from MJ

"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."


Learn from your mistakes and move on.
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burritoLover
Posts: 4097
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Re: Past investment mistakes

Post by burritoLover »

Keenobserver wrote: Wed Aug 10, 2022 9:35 am
burritoLover wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 3:39 pm
Keenobserver wrote: Tue Aug 09, 2022 3:29 pm
burritoLover wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 7:22 am
Aggieland wrote: Sun Aug 07, 2022 11:03 pm Any suggestions on coping and dealing with past major investment mistakes? Its hard not to ruminate and deal with the anxieties it causes.

How did you cope with major investment mistakes, if any?

Thanks
If you have that mentality (dwelling on the past mistakes and getting anxious about it), you probably do the same in your personal life - in which case you more need a psychologist than advice from this forum.
Ouch I think we are being a little harsh here. Its only.natural to ruminate about your past mistakes, doesnt automatically qualify for a shrink appointment. I trusted people too much with my momey. It was due to.greed and hopes of hig returns. I made $$ and also lost $$ due to this, but only often remeber the losing part and have to remind myself I also made $$.
Ruminating about mistakes is one thing but causing you actual anxiety as you dwell on them is another. This is not a behavior that is easily fixed with a handful of Bogle-isms. Getting professional help is not a bad thing.
Sure if its bad enough to affect OP's ability to function in any facet of life then yes. I just didnt get a sense of that from OP.
"deal with the anxieties it causes" - that's generally not good. But, maybe the OP can clarify what specifically they are talking about, otherwise this thread is not very helpful to them.
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