Went from ~$42k to ~$20k after not taking profits. Feeling like an idiot and just want to move forward
24M. Mostly posting this for some perspective/closure from people who have made a similar mistake.
Back in October 2025 my portfolio peaked around $42k. A lot of it was crypto, I was up quite a good amount from my original investment and I didn’t take profits, set sell limits, or rebalance. Then crypto got destroyed and now, almost a year later, I’m sitting around $20.6k.
It’s been messing with me mentally because I keep thinking about what I could’ve had if I had just taken profits. I know hindsight is easy and staring at the old peak does nothing for me, but I still feel like an idiot for letting it happen.
At this point I’m done trying to outperform the market. I make about $2,000 biweekly after tax, and my plan is to move everything into XEQT and contribute around $1,100–$1,500/month going forward.
Realistically, I think that’s part of what appeals to me about just using an index fund too. I wouldn’t constantly be thinking about when I’m supposed to “take profit.” I’d just keep contributing consistently, and ideally put even more in when the market is down instead of trying to guess tops and bottoms.
I’m still only 24, so I know I have time, but it’s hard not to feel behind when I’m basically back to half of where I was, especially with how other people my age are probably doing much better but I know comparing like that can be unhealthy mentally.
For anyone who has been through something similar, how did you stop obsessing over what your portfolio “could have been” and just move forward?