Stop dreaming of getting rich overnight! The 3 truths every ordinary investor should understand

When it comes to investing, many people’s minds immediately jump to keywords like “get rich quick,” “passive income,” and “double your money,” as if just opening a financial app will make financial freedom within reach. But reality is often more sobering than the script—those claiming “low risk, high return” are probably just trying to get you to pay tuition first. Today, we won’t paint a rosy picture; instead, let’s talk about the common pitfalls ordinary investors fall into and how to make steady money with a “dumb method.”

First pitfall: Superstitiously believing in “insider information.” Have you ever heard a friend mysteriously say, “I have a buddy at a brokerage, I heard this stock will hit the daily limit next week”? Then you rush in, only to find they’ve already quietly sold off, and you become the proud “bagholder.” Rumors are either outdated or carefully crafted traps. Remember: truly profitable information isn’t available to you.

Second pitfall: Treating investing like a stock trading game. Today chasing new energy, tomorrow going all-in on AI, the day after jumping into gold… Looks aggressive, but your account is actually turning green like grass. Frequent trading not only wears down your principal but also hands over fees to brokers. The market is a voting machine in the short term, a weighing scale in the long term. The more you tinker, the easier you are to be led by emotions, ultimately losing to a quietly holding index fund.

Third pitfall: Going all-in on high-risk products. Some put their down payment for a house, their child’s tuition, or even credit card limits into cryptocurrencies or leveraged futures, claiming it’s a “big gamble.” But the first rule of investing isn’t how much you can earn—it’s how not to lose everything. When a black swan flies by, those with no exit plan are left swimming naked. True experts always consider the “worst-case scenario” first before deciding how much to invest.

So, how should ordinary people invest? The answer is simple: start with products you can sleep peacefully about. For example, money market funds, government bonds, bank savings—practice with these to get a feel, then gradually move on to “low-maintenance and reliable” tools like index funds. Don’t touch things you don’t understand—if you can’t even read a white paper, don’t expect that project to make you rich.

Investing isn’t a 100-meter sprint; it’s a marathon. Pick the right targets, hold for three to five years, and let compound interest work for you. Time won’t betray patient people; instead, it will reward those who are not greedy, not impulsive, and not following the crowd—those “slow players.”

Finally, key point: investing isn’t about luck; it’s about cognition. Keep learning, stay humble, set aside emergency funds, and don’t treat side jobs as main jobs. Never borrow money to gamble on tomorrow. Wealth growth is never fireworks but drip water wearing through stone. Be steady, be patient, and you’ll go further.