Key insights
- The author reflects on their experience with index ETFs (QQQ, VOO, SPY), highlighting the importance of managing emotional reactions during market fluctuations. The key takeaway is that understanding and controlling one's behavior is crucial for long-term investment success, potentially more so than complex strategies. This suggests a bullish, albeit minor, influence as it reinforces the value of passive investing.
When I first started investing, I spent a lot of time trying to find the right strategy.
Over time, I realized that simply holding broad index ETFs like QQQ, VOO, and SPY taught me more than most of the things I was trying to study.
Not because they are special, but because they expose you to your own behavior.
There were plenty of days where I felt the urge to sell everything, especially during drawdowns. There were also periods where I wanted to add aggressively after strong runs.
I started keeping notes on those moments. Nothing complicated, just what I felt and what the market was doing at the time.
Looking back, most of those decisions would have been driven by emotion, not by any real edge.
It took me a while to accept that managing your own reactions is a big part of this. Probably more important than people want to admit.
Took me longer than I expected to figure that out. Curious if others had a similar experience