Meet Nduka. Nduka is the unluckiest investor. Each time he invests in anything, it crashes.

He started with a popular agro investment that offered juicy returns. When it was time for the company to pay back his capital and investment returns, they began telling stories. It’s been a few years now, and he still hasn’t received a dime from that investment.

Next, he heard stocks were better because they were public and couldn’t run with your money. So he bought Gamestop because “if everyone was talking about it, it had to be good, right?”. He also heard it would run up to $1000, and at the time, it traded at $400. That’s easy money for Nduka. He’d even recover the money he had lost with the agro company .

The price crashed after he had bought it and it never recovered. He later found out it was something called a meme stock. He concluded, “Okay, I’ll avoid meme stocks then”. He then moved to Apple, Amazon and many others. Same story: each time, the price crashed after his buy order completed and never recovered.

After burning his hands with stocks, he decided to follow the popular advice he kept getting, “buy crypto”. He found the courage to invest in Bitcoin on his birthday, November 8th 2021. Just after he bought it, the crypto market started dipping, affecting the price of Bitcoin. It’s been 10 months now, and it hasn’t  recovered.

The most annoying part is that whenever he ignores things going to the moon, they keep rising. But the moment he puts his money in, the thing crashes. He is undeniably an unlucky investor. What can Nduka do to improve his luck with investing?

Investment tips for investors like Nduka

Invest in things you understand and are confident in

Start with your choices;don’t  invest in something because it’s popular or going to the moon. That’s one of the quickest ways to lose money. 

It is critical to look into the choices you make and why you make them. Ask questions, carry out thorough research, and spend some time understanding the risks of anything you want to invest in. If the investment requires you to act fast without thinking, then that opportunity is probably not for you. There will be many opportunities to make money. Look for the ones you understand and are comfortable with.

Think long term

Look for long term investments you are confident about. In the short term, anything can happen to your investment. The market could crash completely due to something you could have never predicted, like COVID. If you’re confident in something for the long term, then you’ll have no problem waiting through market crashes.

Wait it out

Wait out the dip. And if you feel confident enough to do so, buy the dip. For stock investments, doing something called “dollar cost averaging” will reduce your average cost per share and increase your profit when the stock eventually recovers. 

Look for investments with strong decent track record

While young investments offer the opportunity for higher returns, they also have the highest risk of loss. Transparent investments with a good track record of steadily delivering value for investors are the way to go for someone with “bad luck”.

Investments with a decent track record give you the confidence to invest for the long term and wait through market crashes.

Avoid meme stocks

People with ‘bad luck’ rarely get lucky with meme stocks. This is because they usually hear about those stocks just before they peak. This leaves them holding the empty bag and losing most, if not all, of their money. Avoid meme stocks. They’re not for you.

If you must tempt fate, only invest money that you can comfortably throw in the nearest dustbin. Read more about meme stocks that are bad for you here.

Diversify

If all your money is tied up in one investment and the company behind that investment fails, you might lose all your money. But if you spread your money across different investments, you reduce your risk of loss. Although this reduces the money you can make, you’d be much better off doing this.

Don’t do it alone

You don’t have to make all the decisions on your own. Consider getting an experienced financial adviser. Consider platforms like Rise that help users manage their money.

Finally, no one gets it right all the time.

The best investors get it right 51% of the time. You’re not unlucky because you didn’t get it right away; most people don’t get it right. Keep learning from your mistakes and improving your finances. Personal finance is a learning and earning cycle. The more you know, the more you can earn.

“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending” – Carl Bard. Start today to change your luck. Good luck!