I’ll go first…after 10 years of speculating in the market (read: gambling in high risk assets) I realized I shouldn’t ever touch a brokerage account in my lifetime. A monkey would have made better choices than I did. Greed has altered the course of life many times over. I am at an age where I may recover from my actions over the decades, but it has taken its toll. I am frugal and have a good head on me, but having such impulsivity in financial instruments was not how I envisioned my adulthood. Its a bitter pill to swallow, since money is livelihood of my family, but I need to “invest” all I have into relationships, meaningful moments, and fulfilling hobbies.
Anyone can open an account. I did not type this to brag. I wanted to hear what other people have realized about themselves. I don’t own a home/have a mortgage and my cars are beaters. If only I put the money to use in a way that meant something to myself and the people I loved instead of making poor decisions, I might actually be better off in life now.
If you have the discipline to only toss in a hundred and then use that to play around with or contribute 20$ a month from your job then you can do that stuff. But it’s not easy if you’re someone that always goes all in.