This investing strategy feels terrible—but it works

You scroll through your feed and it’s the same story: someone just turned $200 into $6,000 on a meme stock. Another is all-in on some obscure altcoin “about to explode.” Meanwhile, your index fund looks... flat. Boring, even. Welcome to the unglamorous, emotionally brutal, quietly powerful world of “buy and hold.”

If you’ve ever felt FOMO, sold too early, bought too high, or checked your portfolio 12 times a day—you’re not alone. But here’s the kicker: those who sit still often win bigger than those who chase. This isn’t about timing the market. It’s about staying in it. Even when it sucks. Especially when it sucks. Let’s unpack why buy and hold is the strategy nobody wants to brag about—yet it’s the one that quietly builds real wealth.

No, it’s not a meme. It’s the most old-school investing strategy in the book. “Buy and hold” means picking an investment—usually a broad-market index fund, a blue-chip stock, or a major crypto like Bitcoin—and holding it for the long haul. Think five, ten, twenty years. Maybe even longer.

You don’t sell when there’s a crash. You don’t fidget during a bull run. You don’t chase new trends every three months. You buy smart. And then you wait.

Emotionally, this strategy is brutal. Why? Because everything in your brain—and your phone—is telling you to act. The market dips 10%? Sell now. Bitcoin spikes 40%? Take profit. Your friend doubled their gains in Solana options? You feel like a fool for not joining.

But the numbers don’t lie. Over the past 100 years, the S&P 500 has returned an average of about 10% annually—even after factoring in wars, recessions, pandemics, and every “end of capitalism” headline you can imagine. Every time you jump in and out, you risk missing the few key days that drive most long-term growth. According to J.P. Morgan, if you missed just the 10 best market days in the last 20 years, your total returns were cut in half.

That’s the trap. Staying in feels passive. But trying to outsmart the market? That’s how most people lose.

Let’s be real. It’s harder than ever to stick to a long-term strategy. Especially if you’re Gen Z or a millennial grinding through the gig economy, watching influencers flex wins you didn’t get.

You’re bombarded with:

• YouTube bros screaming “THIS STOCK WILL 10X”
• Crypto pump groups promising overnight freedom
• TikTokers selling “signals” and “exit strategies”

Buy and hold looks weak in comparison. It’s not flashy. It’s not viral. It’s the opposite of hype. But here’s what those screenshots don’t show: the taxes, the timing stress, the losses they don’t post, the mental whiplash of trying to win every trade. Buy and hold wins because it ignores the noise—and bets on time instead of timing.

Let’s name the enemies. Because they’re not what you think.

1. Your screen.
The more you check your portfolio, the more likely you are to make a dumb decision. Studies show active traders underperform because of overreaction—not lack of knowledge.

2. Social pressure.
Seeing others “win” makes it harder to sit tight. But most of those flexes are cherry-picked. You’re not seeing the 90% of bets that went sideways.

3. Liquidity temptation.
Have money sitting in an ETF? Suddenly you need a new laptop. Or a short trip. Or just want to “reallocate.” But each time you touch your investments, you interrupt the compounding.

4. Financial stress.
If you don’t have an emergency fund, you’ll dip into your investments the moment life gets real. That’s not bad luck—it’s bad planning.

Here’s what separates the long-term winners from the rest:

Simplicity: They pick broad-market ETFs like VTI or S&P 500 funds. Some add a dash of crypto (BTC, ETH). No over-engineering. No meme baskets.

Automation: They invest the same amount every month—regardless of market mood. This is called “dollar-cost averaging,” and it removes emotional bias.

Backup cash: They keep 3–6 months of expenses in cash. That way, when stuff hits the fan, they don’t have to liquidate their positions at a loss.

Boredom tolerance: They’re okay with nothing happening. They don’t need to feel like a genius every day. They just want their future selves to thank them.

Can You “Buy and Hold” Crypto?

Short answer: Yes. But tread carefully.

Crypto is volatile—way more than stocks. But the same logic applies: pick your bets wisely, keep your allocation small (maybe 5–15% of your portfolio), and hold through the chaos.

If you’re constantly chasing the next token, you’re not investing. You’re speculating. Stick to the majors (Bitcoin, Ethereum), store them securely (cold wallets are your friend), and remember—buying and holding junk coins is still holding junk.

But here’s the nuance: crypto isn’t just a new asset class—it’s a new behavior class. Markets run 24/7. Tweets move prices. Community hype can override fundamentals. That means even long-term holders need emotional armor. Also, there’s a difference between holding for hype cycles (think 2–3 years) and holding for tech adoption (think 10+). If your thesis is that Bitcoin will be digital gold or Ethereum will power Web3, cool—but are you prepared for a 70% drop along the way?

Another risk? Tech changes. Tokens can become obsolete. Regulation might shift. Crypto “buy and hold” works best when paired with regular check-ins—not to sell, but to stay informed.

TL;DR: Yes, you can buy and hold crypto. Just don’t buy and forget. And definitely don’t buy what you don’t understand.

Tools like Syfe, StashAway, Wealthfront, and Betterment are built for buy and hold.

They automate your portfolio, rebalance as needed, and help you stay disciplined. Some even ask about your time horizon and risk tolerance upfront.

Just watch for:

• Hidden fees or performance-based charges
• Over-customizing your risk profile (which may make you too conservative)
• Emotional withdrawals triggered by market dips

If you’re using an app and feel like you’re always tweaking it—you’re not really buying and holding. You’re just trading with a prettier interface.

Okay, let’s be honest. There are times when buy and hold fails—or at least underperforms.

• If you’re holding a dying business (Blockbuster, anyone?), time won’t save you.
• If you bought in at the peak and cashed out at the bottom, you broke the rule.
• If your investments don’t match your goals or timeline, the strategy may be misaligned.

So it’s not just “buy anything and wait.” It’s buy smart, wait long, and keep your hands off the wheel unless something truly changes.

Look, I get it. This strategy isn’t fun to talk about at parties. It doesn’t make for viral TikToks. You won’t get DM’ed by people asking “yo what coin is that?” But buy and hold isn’t about looking smart. It’s about being free later. The real flex isn’t making 80% in three weeks. It’s having enough in 10 years to never need anyone’s approval, job, or bailout.

If you want to try trading, sure. Build a small “fun” portfolio. But for your core investments? Go boring. Go long. Let compounding be the hero. The gut-wrenching part isn’t the market. It’s resisting the urge to touch what’s working. And if you can do that? You’ll win.

Here’s the other part nobody says out loud: buy and hold frees up your mental real estate. When you stop obsessing over price charts, you start using that energy for stuff that actually moves your life forward—like building income, learning new skills, or even just sleeping better. That’s why this strategy hits different. It’s not just wealth-building. It’s stress reduction. It’s life design. So yeah, it’s not sexy. But it’s sustainable. And that’s how freedom starts—not with a moonshot, but with a plan you can stick to even when the charts go red.