No need for Fomo: You’re not missing out. You’re investing smarter

A diversified approach to stock investing often delivers better results. Getty Images

Picture this: you're at a dinner party and someone starts talking about their neighbour who bought Amazon shares early and made a fortune. Then, another guest mentions a colleague who invested in AI start-ups and is now planning early retirement. Meanwhile, you're sitting there with your sensible, diversified portfolio wondering if you've missed the boat entirely.

Sound familiar? We've all been there. When we hear these success stories, it's natural to feel like we're being left out of something big. But here's what they don't tell you at dinner parties: for every neighbour bragging about Amazon, there are countless others who chased the next big thing and watched significant capital disappear when they backed the wrong company or the hype faded.

Every new technology and industry will create incredible success stories for some investors. However, for long-term investors to risk the family financial fortress on isolated bets is irresponsible.

While it makes sense to have some exposure to sectors driving our future, every successful investor must become comfortable with feeling under-allocated to the hottest trends.

We strongly believe that every wise investor needs to have the courage to feel left out.

Hidden in plain sight

Here's the irony: you probably already own the companies you think you're missing out on.

That Amazon stock your neighbour keeps talking about? It's sitting in your global equity portfolio right now. Those AI companies making headlines? Your diversified funds probably hold shares in some of them.

But here's why it doesn't feel that way. When you own a stock directly, every price movement becomes personal. You track it daily, feel each rise and fall, and own the story along with the shares. The dopamine rush is real and addictive.

When you own a stock through a fund, it's hidden among hundreds of other holdings. No daily drama, no emotional highs and lows, no story to tell at parties. Just steady participation in whatever growth occurs.

Our brains crave the excitement of individual ownership, even though the diversified approach often delivers better results. We want to feel like active participants, not passive beneficiaries.

Mature investors recognise this psychological gap and embrace it. They know they're not actually missing out. They're participating more intelligently.

Time-tested wisdom

Since you already participate in the winners through diversification, the question becomes: should you stick with this proven method or complicate it by chasing individual opportunities?

This brings us to a fundamental choice every investor faces. You can focus on what has always worked, or you can focus on what's working now. Mature investors choose the former. Those chasing returns get distracted by the latter.

What has always worked? Global equities have consistently rewarded patient investors across every technological shift. Whether it was railways, electricity, automobiles, computers, or the internet, the great companies adapted and thrived. The businesses that couldn't adapt were replaced by those that could.

Your diversified portfolio captures this innovation without requiring you to guess which specific companies will lead the next wave. You benefit from human ingenuity and progress without the stress of picking winners.

Every generation believes its current investment opportunity is different and revolutionary. The fundamentals of business growth and compound returns remain constant, even as the headlines change.

Mature investors understand that what feels exciting today will probably be tomorrow's forgotten fad. They choose time-tested wisdom over trendy speculation.

Your perfect position

If you're between 40 and 55, you're perfectly positioned to embrace this time-tested approach. You have both the time horizon and the life experience to choose wisdom over excitement.

Your 10 to 25 years until retirement means steady returns are more than enough for financial freedom. You don't need to chase home runs. Your peak earning years allow you to save consistently, and your time horizon enables you to weather temporary volatility.

More importantly, you have the maturity to see through the hype cycles. You've lived through enough “revolutionary” investment opportunities to recognise the pattern. You understand that what feels urgent and exciting today rarely has a lasting impact on long-term wealth building.

This combination of time and wisdom puts you in the sweet spot. You can choose to be content with feeling left out while others chase the latest trends. You can focus on what has always worked while others get distracted by what's working now.

The courage to stay the course

Your future self will thank you for having the courage to stay invested in proven fundamentals rather than speculative bets.

Think of your diversified portfolio as a well-built ship, designed to weather storms and carry you safely to your destination. While others are jumping between flashy speedboats, you're making steady progress towards financial security.

Sometimes, the most courageous thing you can do is nothing at all. When everyone else is chasing the latest trend, the real winners are often those who have the discipline to stick with what works.

The next time you hear a success story at a dinner party, remember: you're not missing out. You're playing a different game – one designed for long-term winners, not short-term thrills.