In a recent Reddit post on r/stocks that got a lot of attention, one investor shared the painful story of selling Palantir PLTR, a software company that builds data platforms for government and commercial use, way too early.
“I had bought PLTR back in 2021 at an average of $28/share,” the investor wrote. “In November, it flew all the way up and it was at $43/share. I doomscrolled on Reddit and researched as much as I could. The [price-to-earnings] ratio did not make sense at all.”
Missed Opportunities Still Haunt Him
The company has positioned itself as a key player in both national security and enterprise analytics, drawing attention from major institutional investors. This momentum, combined with broader AI market enthusiasm, helped push the stock to unexpected highs.
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With uncertainty in the air and big political shifts ahead, the poster made what felt like a smart decision: cash out. He walked away with an $11,000 gain—his biggest yet. But now that PLTR has soared above $150 per share, he can’t help but think about the money left on the table. “I missed out on life money that I won't be able to make for the foreseeable future,” he said. “I really feel like crap and it still haunts me when the stock pops up on my feed. How does one cope with the feeling?”
The post exploded with replies from others who knew exactly how he felt.
“We all have something like that bro,” one investor wrote. “You’re basically saying to yourself ‘If I could have just predicted future stock prices, then I’d be rich’… Like ya, no sh*t.”
Another put it plainly: “You made 11k in profit! That’s insane. Many would kill for that amount of ‘free’ money.”
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Others shared their own war stories. “I bought hundreds of BTC 10 years ago,” one Redditor confessed. “Had I held onto those, I’d be uber rich. But you don't see me complaining.”
Some tried to add perspective by pointing out the risks. “Could have just as easily bought something that went to zero,” one commenter said, referencing the dramatic drop in Peloton PTON and AMC Entertainment AMC stock prices.
Many seasoned investors agreed on a common regret-management strategy: always sell enough to cover your original investment, then let the rest ride.
Others took it as a lesson in detachment and mindset. “You can ‘what if’ anything in life, and this is no different,” one person noted. Another added, “You sold when the stock went up to an amount you were comfortable with.”
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Another voice chimed in with this tough truth: “You realize that you’re complaining/depressed about making profit.”
For every person who missed out on a fortune, there were stories of others who held too long and lost big. “There will always be big wins that will be missed,” one person reminded. “But there will always be bullets dodged too.”
If there’s one universal takeaway, it's that the market always offers another shot. As one investor put it: “Once-in-a-lifetime stocks come around fairly often.”
Read Next: Can you guess how many retire with a $5,000,000 nest egg? The percentage may shock you.
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