🚨 Don't Compare Your Account with Others - Walk Your Own Path

Day 043 | US Stock Investment Guide for Beginners | 2026.01.25

📌 Don't Compare Your Account with Others - Walk Your Own Path

💬 The most important thing in investing is not comparing yourself with others, but sticking to your own principles and philosophy. Let go of impatience and build your own investment strategy from a long-term perspective.

One common mistake in stock investing is comparing yourself with others. When you see the returns of other investors on social media or online communities, it's easy to feel impatient. However, everyone has different investment environments, goals, and risk tolerance levels, so judging your own performance based on others' accounts is meaningless. Successful investors establish their own standards and principles, and maintain an attitude that isn't shaken by external noise.

1️⃣ Why Comparison is Dangerous in Investing

① Different Goals and Investment Environments

• Everyone has different financial situations, investment timeframes, and goals.
• For example, someone aiming for short-term profits and someone targeting long-term compound growth should naturally have different investment strategies.
• Therefore, there's no need to feel impatient when seeing others' returns or account balances.

② Comparison Leads to Emotional Decisions

• Comparing with others' performance creates unnecessary competitive feelings, which often leads to emotional trading.
• Instead of sticking to your investment principles, you may chase short-term profits, which increases the risk of long-term losses.

③ Comparison Can Lead to Wrong Investment Choices

• Just because someone else made high returns on a specific stock doesn't mean you should blindly follow them.
• If you chase profits without knowing their analysis process and risk management strategy, you're likely to face big losses.

2️⃣ How to Build Your Own Investment Principles

① Set Long-term Goals

• It's important to set a goal of building a portfolio that grows steadily over the long term, rather than focusing on short-term profits.

② Know Your Investment Style and Manage Risk

• You need to understand your investment style and set the risk level you can handle.
• If you use excessive leverage just because someone else made high returns, you're more likely to suffer losses.

③ Maintain a Consistent Investment Strategy

• It's important not to easily change your investment strategy once you've decided on it.
• You should maintain your own standards without being swayed by market fluctuations or advice from people around you.

3️⃣ How to Avoid Comparison in Practice

① Keep Investment Records and Compare with Yourself

• Instead of comparing with others, it's important to analyze your own investment records and continuously improve.
• Your returns may be lower than others at certain points, but sticking to your principles long-term can bring bigger profits.

② Selectively Accept Investment Information

• When getting investment information from online communities or social media, don't blindly follow it. Review whether it fits your investment philosophy before making decisions.

③ Set Rules to Avoid Emotional Trading

• For example, establishing a rule to think about investment decisions for a full day before acting can be helpful.
• This way, you can maintain a consistent strategy without being swayed by short-term emotional changes.

4️⃣ Q & A

Q1. If my returns are lower than others, does that mean my investment is wrong?

A. No, it doesn't. Investment strategies and goals differ from person to person, and long-term performance is more important than short-term returns.

Q2. A friend's recommended stock went up a lot - should I follow and buy it?

A. Your friend's investment principles and your investment strategy may be different, so following without sufficient analysis is risky. You should first review whether it fits your own criteria.

Q3. How can I maintain confidence in my investing?

A. It's important to establish your investment principles and stick to them. Instead of comparing with others' accounts, regularly review and improve your own performance - that's the key to long-term success.

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