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both of us made stupid/costly mistakes.
me more than you.
and we are still quite young.
all we can do now is be patient, and learn from the errors, and strive to do better.

Your honesty and soul searching lead me to believe you will do quite well in this life. I'm not that smart, was born to a secretary and Army major and have made my own share of mistakes. I made it a point to work harder than people around me, get more education than them and surround myself with smart, hard-working people. I just turned 40 and feel like I'm doing well. Sure, timing and some luck plays a part, but if you don't work hard and play smart you will NEVER be in position to benefit.

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?

Nearly 11 million households are the wealthiest 10% of all U.S. households in net worth with:

Minimum net worth of $750,000
Average net worth of $2.7 million
Average income of $270,000
Earn nearly 40% of the total income of all Americans
Own 65% of the personal assets of all U.S. households

Source: American Affluence Research Center

Aggressive investors if they are under 40, that's who. People who think and ask lots of questions before they invest, that's who. Getting 2nd, 3rd and 4th opinions about when to pull out of an investment, then listening to what they are told, that's who.

I have friends who buy stocks during the annual October crash every year and in 3 months make more money than most folks do in a year. Of course they have studied the economic flows of the quarter intensively.

I was taught to: Never be satisfied with a 10 or 15 percent return when there is a 25 or 30 percent one available. Never invest 100% in anything unless you are willing to follow it 24/7. When you start to tire pull out and go to something that doesn't require so much effort.