Gambling should only be a hobby investing should be long-term
For some - investing IS gambling.
Way too many people buy a stock based on a tip they found on a forum or because the talking head on TV said buy it.
First clue you have no business in owning a stock (or commodity) - if you can’t fully explain what a company does, why it is better than the competition and what makes it likely to be a quality holding - you probably shouldn’t own it.
When you buy a stock - you are buying a small fraction of ownership of the company. Too many look at it like gambling/speculation - hoping the merry go round keeps spinning and their horse rises hoping to hop off at the peak before it goes back down. Problem is - when it starts to go down - you might not find a buyer.
Look at CRCL - everyone ran in to get a piece at the IPO and it IS a good company. They literally print money. But lots of people bought in high double digits and rode it to 200+ - now it’s at 150 and they want off the ride before it hits 90 again (or worse).
Speculate with 5% of your portfolio - but know a little about what you’re buying and why. Take the majority and buy what you know: if it happens to be crypto - great, your miles ahead of people like me who don’t fully understand it.
