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This is what happens when you don’t pull out
How It Started
I downloaded this app, and I was like cool let’s just see what happens. I wasn’t thinking long term. I wasn’t planning anything serious. I was just happy to be investing with another application. Why not add one more. I knew it was a legitimate app. That was enough.
The strategy was simple. Just invest.
Once I got started I kept using it. I kept putting money in. Even when I wasn’t paying attention I was still investing. Nothing special. No big plan. Just consistency.
Ten Years Later… It COMPOUNDED WELL
And here’s the proof in the images below:
Trending Upwards
And now it’s 10 plus years later and I’m like wow this is actually working. My cumulative returns oscillate between 20 to 40 percent depending on the markets. But for the most part it sits in the 30s.
Cumulative returns. Not daily. Not yearly. Cumulative over a decade
My returns on the app
I invest weekly. The percentage fluctuates. That’s normal. I’ve never realized the wins or the losses because I never sell. So emotionally I’m neutral. If it goes up cool. If it goes down cool. I’m not panicking. I’m not celebrating. I’m existing with the app and letting time do its thing.
That’s the whole thing here.Time.Not perfection.Not timing.Just time and staying in.
Lesson 1. My Strategy For Every App: Don’t Leave
The cool thing about this app is how it jump-started how I approach other apps, too.
The strategy I use is really simple: stay in. Don’t exit. Finish the thing.
I’ve seen so many people hop on amazing financial apps when everything looks good and the hype is high. Then the second the markets go down or they lose a tiny bit of money they panic sell.
I’m sitting there like wow you got out already???
They think they’re protecting themselves by bailing. But most of the time they’re cutting themselves off from the comeback. You just have to weather the storm and hang around long enough to see the rainbow.
If you actually believe in the investment and you understand why you’re in it… sit through the ugly parts.
But if you’re just chasing whatever’s hot because someone yelled or tweeted “get in now”… then yeah that’s when storms come back-to-back. That’s a different life. I’m not doing that. I’m thinking in decades not days.
Lesson 2. Not Every Opportunity Deserves Your Money
I don’t jump into everything simple or hot on the market. If I come across new tech, I do my research, and if it aligns with what I value then I might try it. But not blindly like I have in the past.
Recently a friend introduced me to a new investing app, and I downloaded it to check it out. But I didn’t put money in. I’m watching. I want to build trust first. I want to understand the model. I’ve learned that letting myself understand before I move is always the best option instead of always moving fast.
While I kept waiting and observing, he ended up pulling his money out. I’m still observing the app in the background, though. The model seems viable.
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So yes I believe in opportunities.But I believe in patience too.
Some Months My Gains Equal a Paycheck
Another thing I didn’t realize for a long time is this app has literally paid me whole paychecks at times. There are months when the gains alone would cover my bills if I wanted them to. But I don’t touch it. Because the long-term upside is bigger than the short-term flex.
Everything gets reinvested. I want future-me to have options. Not just a moment.
If you can find opportunities that give above-average returns safely, do it. You don’t have to settle for six to ten percent forever if there’s a smarter play you actually understand. It speeds up compounding like crazy. But it has to make sense to you. Otherwise you’ll jump out the second it gets uncomfortable.
Lesson 3. Investing Isn’t About Being Smart — It’s About Not Leaving
Investing isn’t about being smart.
It’s about not leaving.
It’s about increasing your understanding so you opt in to better investments and strategies.
You don’t need all the knowledge in the world.You just need enough understanding to stay.
And for anyone scared to start investing or scared to mess up or scared to lose money… I get it.
But you’re going to lose money sometimes anyway, so you might as well invest it. You will either lose money to inflation or lose money to investing. Pick your poison. Wealth or poverty.
Most people never hold on long enough to see what could happen. They stop right before the curve bends. They quit right before the progress shows. They run away right before they win.
Your emotional endurance is the investment skill.Consistency is the edge.Staying is the cheat code.
Just start. Add a little every week. And then forget about it. Let time do what time does.
Your chart will speak for you later, if you give it a chance to exist.
The app is called Acorns.
Let me know if you’ve tried it and share your thoughts.
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.