finance
from a $500 birthday gift to hard-earned financial literacy
how it started
in 2023 or 2024, at 13, i asked for crypto instead of a birthday gift. i got $500. what followed was one of the most educational experiences of my life — and one of the most expensive.
i tried everything: copytrading, derivatives trading, spot trading, options, forex, "diversified" portfolios without patience. i lost over 90% in about two years. not great on paper, but the lessons were worth more than the money.
it changed how i view many things. i learned about scams, ponzi schemes, and how scammers profit from seemingly innocent products. i encountered many convincing ones and fell for a few, but over time developed what i'd call a pretty sharp eye for them.
my approach to testing scams
if i understand how a scam works and can clearly see the mechanism — i drop it immediately. but if something comes from a source i trust and i can't figure out why they'd scam or how they profit, i'll put in $5–$10 and see what happens.
i learn through experimentation rather than manuals or tutorials. those tiny details you discover by trying things randomly — the ones no tutorial mentions — are what really make the difference in understanding how things actually work.
where i am now
a year after the worst of the losses, i'm more careful with what i invest in. i hold a balanced portfolio in a few cryptos whose companies i've actually researched, and stake the majority of my tokens for a small stable yield on top.
i read the psychology of money (my favourite book), the intelligent investor, and browse r/wallstreetbets for entertainment. i have a decent understanding of finance, economics, and investing for my age — but i'm nowhere near an expert.
portfolio tracker
normalized to 1.0000 based on march 2, 2026 portfolio value. updated every 6 hours. any price appreciation, staking yield, or additional investment counts as growth above 1.0 — losses show below.
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holdings
lessons learned the hard way
on trading
don't trade derivatives as a beginner — you will lose money. diversification without patience is just slower loss.
on scams
if you can't explain how someone profits from a deal, it's probably a scam. the best scams are the ones you can't figure out until it's too late.
on learning
learning by experimentation beats tutorials — the details you discover by trying things are what build real understanding.
on emotions
emotions influence decision-making more than data does. managing risk means managing yourself first.