7 Investing Mistakes That Are Quietly Killing Your Returns

Let’s talk about the biggest investing mistakes I see people make again and again—myself included.

I’ve made all 7 of these at one point or another. But here’s the thing: once you fix them, your money starts working way harder for you.

Here’s what I cover in the video:

1. Holding cash in your retirement account Sitting on uninvested money in your IRA or 401(k)? It’s losing value every single day to inflation. Don’t let it rot.
   

2. Stock picking instead of indexing For every Apple, there’s a Blockbuster. Stop betting on unicorns. Own the whole market.
   

3. Waiting too long to buy a home Rent in Metro Detroit is over $1,600/month—and climbing. A mortgage builds equity. Rent builds your landlord’s equity.
   

4. Trying to time the market Timing the market is a fantasy. Time in the market is what builds real wealth.
   

5. Overpaying on fees Paying 2% in mutual fund fees? You could be giving up $1.7 million over your lifetime. Yes, million.
   

6. Thinking short-term Wealth isn’t built overnight. Michael Phelps trained for 12 years to win his first gold. Think like an Olympian.
   

7. Not starting early—or often enough It’s not about how much. It’s about how soon. The sooner you start, the harder compounding works for you.

These are the mistakes that quietly kill long-term growth—and you won’t realize the damage until it’s already done. This video walks through how to fix each one, step by step.

Michael Perna
CEO
The Perna Team Real Estate

P.S. Whether you’ve got a retirement account, rental property, or $5K in savings—you need to know this stuff.

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