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I have a few unique characteristics as I'm on the spectrum. Higher functioning, so it's both a blessing and a curse. Certain things in life come really easy for me, while others are incredibly difficult (far more than the "average" person).
My only child was born 4 years ago (it was through IVF, so very much a choice we made). It was during my wife's pregnancy that I became self conscious of our financial future, and the desire to provide a fulfilling life for my child. This pivotal moment has shaped all my financial decisions since becoming a father.
We sold our house in March of 2022 (at the height of the housing market) in a HCOL area, and moved to a LCOL area (paid for our house in cash). The house we purchased is on a street that intersects with my wife's childhood home (where her parents still live). This gave us the capital to begin our value investing journey.
I have since taken our initial investment of $107,000 (we've added about $40,000 of new money over the last 4 years) into over $700,000 as of today. During that time we've only held 9 different companies (with only one losing position which I divested). We hold the most (5) currently we have during that span as our position size has continued to grow. This has mostly been finding value in nano/micro/smallcaps.
We've had 2 buyouts (over 100% gains), a 5 bagger, and a 30% loss with our divestments. All current holdings (5) have positive growth (one of which is over 80%, while another is over 40%), with the acquisition of our largest holding finalized yesterday (it is also now a 5 bagger).
I don't really have any secrets, so I struggle to explain the success to family and friends. I'm quite honest in that I feel the stock market is a ponzi scheme (if all old money looked to divest on Monday, there wouldn't be enough new money on the sidelines to hold the markets value). I think that realization has helped to formalize the game we're all in. Other than that I know I have a significant passion for it, and really enjoy reading balance sheets, researching management teams, and trying to better understand market dynamics.
I of course concede that we've been in a massive bull run, but also know that my lived experience is far from the norm. I don't really want to test lady luck though, and have been on the fence about building out a larger cap portfolio focusing more on income.
Sorry, I know that's a long read, but wanted to provide context. Just struggling a bit with the success, and next steps honestly.