---
type: "Topics"
locale: "en"
url: "https://longbridge.com/en/topics/42260185.md"
description: "In investing, the most torturous thing is never "not buying," but rather "could have bought." When a stock you were bullish on rises 50%, doubles, or even goes up tenfold, that voice in your head keeps saying—"if only I had bought it back then."But I want to tell you a fact: missed trades don't cost you anything.If you didn't buy, there's no possibility of losing money and no anxiety of being trapped. It goes up on its own, you live your life, and there's no financial relationship between you. What truly costs you is always something else—reckless trading.Chasing in at highs, panic selling, swapping positions that shouldn't have been touched for assets you don't understand. These are the actions that could wipe you out in one go.But a crucial premise must be added here: all the above judgments are based on your assets being able to support your daily living expenses for more than three years.If this money is for next month's rent, your child's tuition, or an emergency fund at home—then any volatility is a matter of life and death for you, and there's simply no talk of "holding calmly" or "waiting for an opportunity." The prerequisite for investing is always using money you can afford to lose, not money you can't.Don't be upset because you missed out, don't act recklessly because you're itchy. The market never lacks opportunities; what's lacking is you still having capital to sit at the table."
datetime: "2026-06-27T11:25:06.000Z"
locales:
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/topics/42260185.md)
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/topics/42260185.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/topics/42260185.md)
author: "[阿修AX](https://longbridge.com/en/profiles/12691394.md)"
---

# In investing, the most torturous thing is never &#…