My wife ands I dabble in some personal trades here and there, and we also have investments in funds. One can think they know what they're doing, but can be catastrophically wrong. So I'll say I don't know what I'm doing, but have been really lucky. My bad picks have been greatly outweighed by good picks. There are a couple that went bust to nothing, while others made a 100 times what I paid. I've made many times more money in stocks than I have in bonds, real estate or cash/metals. We're debt free and retired, so we can take risks but we want to leave something for our grandchildren so we don't go crazy on trading. I do agree with you that stocks are better than metals (sitting around doing nothing).
Turned 100k into 40k..turn 40k into 80k...Got incredibly lucky..on some some trades. Got cocky on many also..!! Ha!!
Shut it all down for a time..and started reading about successful people....studied charts and technical analysis. Paid for some info also.
Long story short I figured it out.....I paid my dues.
Thanks for replying..Good luck!!