Most people see losses. I see tuition. The market is the greatest university—and I just completed another semester.
Look. I’ll be honest with you, because that’s what I do. 2025 wasn’t my best year financially. The portfolio took some hits. The crypto allocation—let’s call it “restructured.” My landlord raised the rent, which I’m choosing to view as motivation. But here’s what the average person doesn’t understand about financial losses: they’re learning investments.
Every dollar I lost this year taught me something. The $4,200 I put into that AI trading bot? I learned that AI trading bots don’t always work. The $7,500 that vanished when that “guaranteed” DeFi protocol collapsed? I learned what “smart contract vulnerability” means. That’s education. Try getting that at Harvard.
The Mindset Difference
People who work 9-to-5 jobs look at a loss and see failure. Entrepreneurs look at a loss and see data. I’ve collected a lot of data this year. Frankly, I’m overqualified now. The market has taught me things that business school professors can only dream about.
My parents called last week to ask how my “investments” were doing. I told them I was in a learning phase. They asked if that meant I needed money. I explained that learning phases are actually more valuable than earning phases because you’re building the foundation for exponential future returns. They Venmo’d me $500 anyway.
That’s not a bailout. That’s angel investment from people who recognize potential. Pre-revenue is a phase, not a destination.
What 2025 Taught Me
Here’s my year in review, reframed correctly:
January: Lost $2,800 on a memecoin. Lesson: memecoins require faster timing. February: Lost $1,400 on NFTs. Lesson: the NFT market was cooling (I was early to understanding this). March through June: Stable. Small losses. Consistent learning. July: The AI trading bot incident. Lesson: diversify your bots. August: Discovered that my “passive income rental property” plan requires actually owning property. Lesson: adjust timeline. September through November: What I call “strategic regrouping.” December: Currently in what experts would call a “transitional liquidity situation.”
Add it all up, and you’re looking at someone who has learned more about markets this year than most MBAs learn in their entire program. The tuition just looked different.
2026: The Execution Year
Here’s the thing most people won’t tell you: you can’t have a breakout year without the breakdown years. 2025 was my breakdown year. 2026 will be different. I’ve identified the patterns. I’ve absorbed the lessons. I’ve subscribed to three new newsletters.
My girlfriend asked why I don’t just “get a regular job.” I told her that’s exactly what they want us to do. They want us dependent on paychecks. They want us comfortable. They want us to stop learning. She said “who is they” and I said “exactly” and she went quiet because she knew I had a point.
Financial losses are learning investments. Write that down. Frame it. Put it somewhere you’ll see it every morning. Then lose some money and get smarter. That’s the path.
Few will understand this. Fewer will execute. I’m executing.
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