Motley Fool Money · Saturday, August 1, 2026
An anonymous listener shared their challenging start in investing, including a significant loss during the GFC after using leverage. After restarting in 2012 without borrowed funds and living frugally, they have achieved over 20% annual returns for 14 years.
“I had a disastrous start to my investing journey. I spent two years learning as much as I could about the stock market by reading books, participating in online discussion forums, and avidly reading e-newsletters, including from the Motley Fool US business.”
“I calculated that leverage would give me the starting boost I needed, helped by negative gearing in the interest payments. I maxed out the line of credit on my mortgage, opened a CommSec account, and put it all into the market very quickly. Following the line that time in the market beats timing the market. I bought it at the very top of the market in November 2007, right before the GFC.”
“This time, I did it without using any borrowed money. I worked long hours, lived frugally, and steadily added to my investments. When I moved to a much cheaper regional area, I was able to buy a modest home outright and have been debt-free for many years. I've returned over, is the humble brag, 20% per annum since I restarted investing 14 years ago, and built up considerable capital.”