95% of retail investors are not really "investing," only "praying for a rise"—true stock investing is based on this clear roadmap!

95% of retail investors are actually not investing at all. They only do one thing: watch the ups and downs, buy randomly, and pray for a rise. The result? Chasing highs in emotional frenzy, panic selling, cycle repeats. True stock investing is not about gambling on the direction, but having a clear roadmap: ask about moat before buying, evaluate if valuation is expensive or cheap, use the right order type when buying, sell with discipline, and control costs to the end. This is not a skill, but a decision-making system—execute it properly, and you move from 95% retail players to 5% winners.

The True Stock Investment Roadmap: 5-Step Decision System

① Before Buying: You’re not buying a code, you’re buying a company

Ask three core questions first. If you can’t answer clearly, don’t buy—this is emotion, not investment.

If you can’t clearly answer these, you’re not investing, you’re gambling on luck.

② Valuation: Not “Will it rise,” but “Is it expensive?”

Good company + outrageous price = disaster. Valuation is the core of buying.

Remember: the market rewards good companies that are cheap, punishes good companies that are expensive.

③ When Buying: 90% of people get stuck on “Order Placement”

You think you’re trading, but you’re actually passively executing. Order type determines cost and risk.

• Market Order: Fast, but prone to buying at a high price
• Limit Order: Stable, precise control of price
• Stop Loss Order: Not giving up, but protecting life

Mature investors: have a pre-written exit plan before entering. Placing orders is not impulsive; it’s executing a plan.

④ Selling: Not feelings, but discipline

Without a selling plan, it’s not long-term investing; it’s passive trapping.

Selling is the hardest, but also the key to closing the investment loop.

⑤ The Most Hidden Killer: Costs—slowly eating you alive

Many people underperform the index not because of wrong judgment, but because costs eat away at returns.

• Bid-ask spread + commissions
• Exchange rate losses (overseas stocks)
• Capital gains tax + dividend tax
• Fund expense ratios

Investing is not just about calculating returns, but about how much you keep. Low costs are the king of long-term compound growth.

One Sentence Summary

Stock investing is not gambling on the direction; it’s a complete “decision system”: think clearly before buying (company + valuation), calculate carefully when buying (order + stop loss), plan before selling (discipline triggers), and account for costs thoroughly (how much is left to earn).

Retail investors pray for rises; investors execute systems—that’s the difference.
By following these 5 steps, you move from 95% emotional players to 5% systematic winners.