Investing is a game of patience, discipline, and calculated risk. After 20 years in the market—navigating both low-risk and high-risk investments—I’ve seen it all: bull runs that made me feel invincible and brutal crashes that reminded me of my mortality. My portfolio now sits at £10 million, but trust me, I didn’t get here without making costly mistakes.
If you’re just starting or even a few years in, take my lessons to heart. They could save you years of frustration and millions in lost opportunities.
1. Thinking Short-Term Will Kill You
Early on, I thought I was smarter than the market. I believed I could flip stocks, chase quick wins, and time every movement perfectly. It worked—until it didn’t. The biggest wealth generators in my portfolio weren’t the stocks I traded aggressively but the ones I held for 10+ years.
What I wish I knew earlier:
- If you believe in a company, hold. Ignore daily noise.
- The biggest winners come from compounding over decades, not months.
- Rule of thumb: If you wouldn’t hold an asset for 5 years, don’t buy it.
2. Risk Management Is Non-Negotiable
The fastest way to lose everything? Overleveraging, chasing speculative assets, or ignoring risk management. I learned this the hard way during the 2008 crash and again in the crypto wipeouts of 2018 and 2022.
Survival rules:
- Never risk more than 5% of your portfolio on a single investment.
- Always have cash on the sidelines (liquidity is king in a crisis).
- If an asset can drop 90% overnight (looking at you, meme stocks and altcoins), treat it like a lottery ticket, not an investment.
3. The Market Doesn’t Care About Your Feelings
In 2015, I held onto a stock I knew was failing just because I was emotionally attached. I watched it bleed down to zero. Lesson learned: your ego will bankrupt you faster than a market crash.
Be ruthless:
- If an investment isn’t working, cut losses fast.
- The market doesn’t owe you anything.
- Always ask: Would I buy this stock today at its current price? If the answer is no, sell it.
4. The Best Opportunities Feel Uncomfortable
Some of my best investments felt wrong at the time.
- Buying stocks in 2009 when everyone else was panicking.
- Buying Bitcoin in 2016 when people still called it a scam.
- Buying real estate in 2020 when the world was shutting down.
Lesson: The best opportunities often come when fear is high. Learn to move against the herd.
5. Ignore the Noise—Focus on Fundamentals
The financial media exists to sell panic and euphoria. I used to check the news every hour, react to headlines, and let market noise dictate my moves. Now, I look at the fundamentals: earnings, growth potential, balance sheets. That’s it.
What matters:
✔️ Strong cash flow
✔️ Industry tailwinds
✔️ A business with a durable competitive advantage
Everything else is noise.
6. The Power of One Big Idea
You don’t need 100 good investments. You need 1 or 2 great ones.
- Amazon turned early investors into millionaires.
- Apple did the same.
- Tesla changed the game.
Instead of diversifying for the sake of it, go big on what you truly believe in.
7. Study, Study, Study
The best investors I know? They never stop learning. The worst investors? They assume they know everything.
One book changed my entire perspective on investing:
📖 “The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Graham.
It taught me how to value stocks, manage risk, and invest with discipline. If you read just one book on investing, let it be this one.
Final Thought: Play the Long Game
I’ve seen people make millions and lose it all because they lacked patience. The ones who win in the end? Those who stay disciplined, think long-term, and never stop learning.
Don’t repeat my mistakes. Invest smart, think decades ahead, and stay in the game. Your future self will thank you.
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