Experienced Reddit Investors Imagine If They Were 25 Again: 'What Would You Do Differently'

It's easy to say what you would do in hindsight. People who could start over 10 years ago would likely put their money into Nvidia NVDA and Tesla TSLA.

However, this question recently came up in the Investing subreddit, where someone asked what people would do if they were 25 again.

"What would you do differently?" The Redditor inquired.

The responses demonstrate how the fundamentals of stock investing continue to hold true. These are some of the insights from investors who said what they would do if they were 25 again.

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Buy And Hold

The stock market has endured many rallies and corrections. Sharp volatility can cause panic and miss out on great opportunities. Many people regret exiting their positions at the wrong time instead of sticking with their stocks during slower cycles.

Even the people who mostly got it right still have some regrets or things that they wish they had done differently. One investor got an early start but still wished they had gotten into the market a little earlier.

"I invested [in Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (NYSE Arca:VOO)] when I was 23 and still holding, and I wish I invested earlier."

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Focus On The First $100,000

While investing at a young age can give you a tremendous head start, you have to increase your investments and income to expand your portfolio.

One commenter explained the importance of reaching a $100,000 net worth and used a quote from Charlie Munger to demonstrate their point.

"Don’t worry about earning millions; instead, focus on the first $100,000 because, after that, your net worth will go crazy," Munger had previously said.

Net worth catapults after $100,000 because of the significance of a 10% gain. If you get a 10% gain on $1,000, you end up with $1,100. However, a 10% gain on $100,000 results in $110,000. Eventually, your portfolio will grow faster than the amount you can contribute to it each year.

Establishing good money habits like tracking your expenses and regularly investing will get you there faster. You can also pick up a side hustle to catapult your way to a $100,000 portfolio sooner.

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Avoid Distractions

Younger investors are conditioned to take more risks. The logic is that younger investors can wait for the stock market to recover and don't have to worry as much about short-term dips.

However, that doesn't mean you should be a reckless investor and succumb to distracting financial instruments.

"Options, futures, commodities [are] fun distractions, but don’t spend your hard-earned money and hundreds of hours on them only to get maybe a few percent extra and sometimes even lose money on it."

Avoiding distractions doesn't only come down to derivatives. Keeping away from vices, people who drag you down, and bad thoughts can also aid you on your investing journey.

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