Good morning Sterling,
I'm sorry with what you're going through, and I'm also sorry for Uber Darthium for losing his nephew. My situation is different because my mom has lived a great life, but every day is a struggle for me and her - she's in a rehab facility after struggling at her assisted living facility. I lost my father 5 years ago on April 25, and my mom often tells me she wants to go to sleep and not wake up, and just be with him again. Emotionally, it takes a toll on you, and it's even affecting me physically. I've had all sorts of weird aches and pains, numbness, sleeping issues, etc. So - I get to some degree all the struggles.
In regards to that stock story - it's why these stocks can't be invested in heavily. I might even say that about big stocks - look what happened at Enron. You just never know - I will repeatedly say the best thing to do is max out your 401K every paycheck, and put extra principal towards your house if you can. If you have fun money, put it here - and if you don't want to lose it all, sell half on a decent gain. Maybe you'll never be rich, but you'll be at peace. You'll be able to carve out a decent life for yourself.
I would also just say not to take any of this personally. There is a backstory behind all of these people who come in and criticize. You've just addressed one, but there are countless similar stories that explain a lot of actions here and elsewhere. Yes - we all make mistakes in investing. Just look at my posting history - I've had some real stinkers. :) Again though - build your nest egg as much as you can - then if you lose a few thousand here or there, it's not a big deal at all. I think that's the position most of us are in. Could you just buy 50 million shares of a trip 0 stock and it goes to 10 cents, and you hold the whole time? Sure....but you could hold to a penny and then it goes back to zero - then you're in hospital with stress-related illnesses. You have to figure out what makes you happy. That's success.
I'd also say this isn't directed at you, because you've been investing for over 30 years. It's more directed towards the young tykes that want to get filthy rich overnight.
