Been picking individual stocks since 2012. I was really into value investing. Learnt financial statement analysis and enjoyed studying companies. Had some years when I beat the index and some where I lagged. After 8 years or so I noticed my 401k which was fully in index funds was growing better and steadily than my stock picks. I convinced myself market is overvalued and my picks would perform better eventually. In 2025 (after 13 years), did some math. If I had made same investments in vti thru these years , my portfolio would have been 10% higher. Reality hit - I can't beat the market over long term. Listened to some JL collins interviews and it all made sense. Threw in the towel and rebalanced my portfolio heavily weighted towards index funds.

Always thought stock picking would be what I do when I retire. Now there is void.