No deadlines, no benchmarks, just time!

The CFA analyst said he’s down 4% year-to-date. His colleagues? Up double digits. He muttered, “I’m f*cked.” And just like that, you see it, the curse of the quarterly scoreboard. Institutional investors don’t invest, they perform. Measured in 3-month snapshots, they chase returns to keep their jobs, not build wealth. They answer to committees, clients, KPIs. They can’t afford to be patient, even when patience is the only smart play.

But you, the retail investor? You’ve got something they don’t: time and freedom. You don’t need to explain your thesis at every quarterly meeting. You don’t need 40 stocks to appease compliance. You don’t need to zig when the herd zags. You can buy four great businesses and hold them like your life depends on it, because in a way, it does.

As Buffett said, “You would be better off with a 20-punch card.” Scarcity forces discipline. Time reveals the truth. And freedom, true freedom, lies in being able to wait.

Let them panic. You invest.