The Investment That Sank

I am Warrior Investor.

Now, my portfolio is stable. But once I was over-invested in a single asset. Not because I saw potential, but because it was my favorite.

Before I was a saver, before I was an investor, I was simply an amateur newbie to the market who clung to an asset, and never  paused to rebalance!

I take a fond look at that first investment. Not to regret, but to reflect on its lessons. Would you sit with me?

The marketplace was brimming with a variety of assets. Some guaranteeing stable returns, some promising potential riches. Yet I was just there, amused by their movements, unable to settle on a strategy. Until that day.

The ruthless market, on one fine day, gave  me one gift - a large green candlestick in the charts. Even in that overwhelming crowd of assets, each with its own rhythm, this one shined and stood out - not just in the charts, but also in my heart. Its steady upward movement, the all time high closing, and consistent trade volumes - drew not just my curiosity, but my entire capital!

I felt no hesitation nor any reservation. I went all in.

I celebrated even the tiniest returns, letting them reinforce my faith. And when it brought losses—which often it did—I held on. Sometimes I even doubled down, driven not by logic, but by hope.

It danced—up and down, sometimes staying flat for weeks—testing my patience, testing my resolve. But my faith never wavered.

Then, the day arrived. The results day. The one I had waited for.

I was nervous, yet hopeful. And when the numbers came, they shattered everything. My portfolio, and my dreams.

The investment sank. I should’ve known earlier, but I clung to it, defying all rationality. The investment itself gave clear signals, not once, not twice but several times, yet I ignored them all. But since when did any investment class perform based on one investor's faith? The reality didn’t just reveal itself—it laughed at me. At my ignorance, at my recklessness disguised as persistence. And I could do nothing except just watch, helplessly.

It took with it not just my efforts, but my confidence—in the market, and in myself. Should I have exited earlier? Should I have diversified across assets and classes?

Looking back, I wish the investment had worked for me like I did for it, and I had remained as passive as it did. But no—the ship has sailed, and there’s no catching up.

Yet, I have come to realise that not all is lost. Even this regret bore a great gift: a valuable lesson. One that has kept my other investments afloat—and more importantly, kept me afloat—even as some unsuitable ones sunk. I’ve seen that fall before. It won’t hurt me again.

I rebuilt my portfolio. Slowly. Steadily. With patience and discipline. Not all by myself, but with the help of master investors, co-investors, and simply other well wishers. To them, I am forever grateful. And to my that first sunk investment, I'm grateful even more. Both for the thrills and the lessons.

I am Warrior Investor. And my investment journey continues.

Oh, and in case it wasn't clear, dear readers, 

I wasn't talking about money at all.

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