Academy

The Steady Investor

0/5 lessons completed · Read at your own pace

Day 1 of 5

The most expensive mistake in investing

The most expensive mistake in investing isn't picking the wrong stock.

Here's a number that should stop you in your tracks:

$90,000

lost by selling during COVID and waiting 30 days to re-enter (on a $300K portfolio)

Not lost to the crash. Lost to the reaction to the crash. The market dropped, they sold, and by the time they felt safe enough to buy back in, they'd missed a 30% recovery.

Fidelity published that data. It's not an edge case. Dalbar's annual study consistently shows that the average investor underperforms the S&P 500 by 3-4% per year — not because they pick bad funds, but because they buy high and sell low.

The gap between what the market returns and what investors actually earn is almost entirely explained by one thing: behavior.

The biggest threat to your portfolio isn't the market. It's what you do when the market scares you.

Financial advisors charge $5,000-$50,000 a year. Vanguard estimates that 1.5% of their value — the single largest component — comes from "behavioral coaching." In plain English: talking you out of selling at the bottom.

That's the problem this course addresses. Not what to invest in. How to stay invested.

Over the next 10 days (5 emails, every other day), we'll cover the data, the neuroscience, and the practice that separates investors who build wealth from those who sabotage it.

Read: What 1% in Fees Actually Costs You

Next email in 2 days: the JPMorgan study that changes how you think about market timing.

1 / 5

For educational purposes only. Not financial advice. Consult a qualified professional before making investment decisions.

Sign up free to save your progress and unlock all courses.

Create free account →