A New Investor Asks If The Dot-Com Bubble Or 2008 Crash Felt 'Like The End Of The World.' Veterans Reflect On The Panic And The Lessons
Hundreds of experienced investors responded with stories, lessons, and memories that painted a sobering picture of financial chaos, emotional upheaval, and resilience.
Everything Was Going Up, Until It Wasn't
One of the most upvoted replies came from someone who lived through both crashes. 'Got killed as a relatively new investor during the dot-com bubble,' they wrote. 'Learned my lesson and kept buying [index exchange-traded funds] on the dips during the 2008 financial crisis, which turned out to be some of my best investments ever.'
Don't Miss:
Accredited Investors: Grab Pre-IPO Shares of the AI Company Powering Hasbro, Sephora & MGM—
'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. You can
Many described the late '90s as euphoric. 'Dot-com bubble was surreal. Everyone was talking about stocks. You'd be going home on the subway and people were talking about what they wanted to invest in,' one commenter recalled. But when the bubble burst, it hit hard. 'I lost $10k during the dot-com crash, which hurt really bad as a 23-year-old,' another said.
In contrast, the 2008 crash felt different for some investors. '2008 was horrific,' one wrote. 'I thought the world was ending.' Others said it wasn't just about numbers on a screen. 'People lost their houses, people killed themselves.'
Lessons In Panic And Patience
Several investors noted they made their best financial moves by holding steady. 'I was scared because I had just bought a house, but I kept investing into my 401(k), and it turned out to be a very good move,' one said. Another shared, 'All fun and games until you lose your job, then sell stocks at the bottom, then lose your house.'
Some remembered cashing out early, only to miss the rebound. Others stayed the course. 'Never sold! I only invest in stock index funds. Stick with a diversified portfolio and enjoy the magic of compounding,' one long-time investor advised.
Trending: $100k+ in investable assets? – no cost, no obligation.
One user who lost more than 75% of their portfolio in 2008 said it took eight years to fully recover. 'Kept to my plan,' they said. 'Now have over $6.5M.'
'Remember 2008 like it was yesterday. Family's home was appraised at $176K and sold at sheriff's sale for $38K,' another added.
One commenter said they had to rent out rooms and work multiple jobs just to keep their home. 'Had to hustle. It was a rough time.'
The Calm Before The Crash
What struck several people was how confident everyone felt before the fall. 'Pizza delivery drivers were buying real estate with zero down,' one recalled. 'Anyone buying a property would buy a second one for income or to flip and pay for the first one.'The thread also drew comparisons to the current artificial intelligence boom. 'Never felt like the world was ending for any of these crashes. The potential impending AI bubble worries me more than either of these did. It has a more existential, end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it vibe,' someone warned.
People were buying anything with '.com' in the name in 1999, and the same is happening now with AI.
While some called today's fears over tariffs and inflation 'a blip' compared to 2008, others urged caution. 'This isn't going to end well,' one wrote.
The mood may not always signal a crash, but as one investor summed it up: 'It's not really the end of the world, but it can be the end of your world.'
Read Next: Can you guess how many retire with a $5,000,000 nest egg? .UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets.
Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga?
APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report
TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article A New Investor Asks If The Dot-Com Bubble Or 2008 Crash Felt 'Like The End Of The World.' Veterans Reflect On The Panic And The Lessons originally appeared on Benzinga.com
© 2025 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Wire
an hour ago
- Business Wire
LINE BREAKING NEWS: Lineage, Inc. Stock Significantly Declines After IPO on Customer Downturn -- Investors with Losses are Notified to Contact BFA Law before September 30 Class Action Deadline
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Leading securities law firm Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP announces that a lawsuit has been filed against Lineage, Inc. (NASDAQ: LINE) and certain of the Company's senior executives and directors for potential violations of the federal securities laws. Leading securities law firm Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP announces that a lawsuit has been filed against Lineage, Inc. (NASDAQ: LINE) and certain of the Company's senior executives and directors for potential violations of the federal securities laws. If you invested in Lineage, you are encouraged to obtain additional information by visiting: Investors have until September 30, 2025, to ask the Court to be appointed to lead the case. The complaint asserts claims under Sections 11 and 15 of the Securities Act of 1933 on behalf of investors who purchased stock pursuant and/or traceable to Lineage's registration statement for its initial public offering held on or about July 25, 2024. The case is pending in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and is captioned City of St. Clair Shores Police and Fire Retirement System v. Lineage, Inc., et al., No. 2:25-cv-12383. Why Was Lineage Sued Under the Federal Securities Laws? Lineage is a cold storage focused real estate investment trust ('REIT'). Through its Global Warehousing Segment, Lineage owns and operates hundreds of temperature-controlled storage facilities used by companies to store food and other perishable products. As alleged, Lineage's IPO documents touted its 'consistent cold chain demand,' which purportedly provided Lineage 'with strong cash flows even during periods of broader economic stress.' The IPO documents also represented that the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic had 'accelerated trends that . . . have the potential to be growth engines for the industry in coming years.' In truth, Lineage was allegedly in the midst of a sustained downturn, as its customers destocked excess inventory built up during the COVID-19 pandemic, and also shifted to leaner inventories on a go-forward basis and as more cold-storage supply came on line. Events Following the IPO On February 26, 2025, Lineage announced its fiscal Q4 2024 financial results, revealing that customers had been 'unwinding' previously 'overbuil[t]' levels of inventory, returning to a 'more normal seasonal pattern' that was expected to 'continue moving forward.' Lineage conducted its IPO at $78 per share. Since the IPO, the price of Lineage stock has fallen dramatically, to lows near $40 per share—approximately half the IPO price. Click here for more information: What Can You Do? If you invested in Lineage you may have legal options and are encouraged to submit your information to the firm. All representation is on a contingency fee basis, there is no cost to you. Shareholders are not responsible for any court costs or expenses of litigation. The firm will seek court approval for any potential fees and expenses. Or contact: Ross Shikowitz ross@ 212.789.3619 Why Bleichmar Fonti & Auld LLP? BFA is a leading international law firm representing plaintiffs in securities class actions and shareholder litigation. It has been named a top plaintiff law firm by Chambers USA, The Legal 500, and ISS SCAS, and its attorneys have been named 'Elite Trial Lawyers' by the National Law Journal, among the top '500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers' by Lawdragon, 'Titans of the Plaintiffs' Bar' by Law360 and 'SuperLawyers' by Thomson Reuters. Among its recent notable successes, BFA recovered over $900 million in value from Tesla, Inc.'s Board of Directors, as well as $420 million from Teva Pharmaceutical Ind. Ltd. For more information about BFA and its attorneys, please visit
Business Insider
an hour ago
- Business Insider
How to buy Pepe coin: A step-by-step guide to getting started in 2025
One of the most popular meme coins — and the 31st largest cryptocurrency by market cap on CoinGecko — is Pepe coin (PEPE). This coin was inspired by the "Pepe the Frog" meme, which comes from a character originally created for a comic series in 2005. In the mid-2010s, leading up to Donald Trump's first election, Pepe turned into a meme in part by being adopted in political circles, including the alt-right. However, this was not the creator's original intention. In April 2023, Pepe Coin launched as a meme coin running on the Ethereum network. It then quickly became one of the top meme coins among crypto investors, in part due to the Pepe meme's popularity on social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Reddit, and Telegram communities. Meme coins can be riskier than other types of crypto or other investments. Much of the value is subjective, similar to how collectibles like Beanie Babies might sometimes be highly valued by others, while at other times, they hold little market value. Still, if you're planning to buy, here is a step-by-step guide to buying Pepe coin. Where to buy Pepe coin in 2025 There are several places to buy Pepe coin, depending on your preferences. Some options include: Centralized and decentralized exchanges to buy Pepe coin You can buy Pepe coin through several of the most popular crypto exchanges, such as Kraken and Gemini. The steps to buy Pepe depend on the exchange, starting with following their KYC (know your customer) protocols, if applicable. On some exchanges, like KuCoin, Pepe is traded in pairs, e.g., PEPE/USDT. Pepe coin can also be bought on DEXs (decentralized exchanges) such as Uniswap. The pairs used for swapping Pepe coin vary by the decentralized exchange and what other investors are offering. The process for trading on DEXs can be more complex and riskier than a centralized exchange, but you can gain benefits like more control and privacy. Typically, the process involves connecting a non-custodial wallet like Best Wallet so you can trade your crypto assets for Pepe coin. Double-check that you're using the right contract address to ensure that you're trading the assets you intended. P2P marketplaces and swap services For even more direct control, but perhaps risks like less oversight/security, you can use peer-to-peer marketplaces and token swap platforms to directly exchange your tokens, like swapping ETH for PEPE. How to buy Pepe coin step by step While the exact steps to buy Pepe coin vary based on where you make the transaction — e.g., a centralized vs. decentralized exchange — the general steps include the following: 1. Set up a crypto wallet Generally, you need a crypto wallet to trade crypto assets, including Pepe coin. These wallets hold private keys, which are passwords that let you access your crypto holdings living on blockchains. If buying through an exchange, you might use that exchange's hosted wallet, or you might use a self-custody wallet. The choice can depend on factors such as your security and control preferences. Some popular crypto wallets include Best Wallet, MetaMask, and Trust Wallet, with the choice depending on factors like the projects you want to buy into and your custody preferences. When setting up a wallet, make sure you secure your seed phrase (which acts as a recovery password), and consider other best practices like two-factor authentication. 2. Buy ETH or USDT first, if needed While you can sometimes buy assets like PEPE through exchanges directly with US dollars or other fiat currencies, you often need to buy a commonly used cryptocurrency first, such as ETH or USDT. Once you transfer that commonly used crypto into your wallet, you can then exchange it for PEPE, such as on some DEXs or swap platforms. 3. Choose an exchange/platform to buy Pepe coin As mentioned, there are several places where you can buy Pepe coin. If using an exchange like Coinbase, you'll need to create an account first, or you can connect your wallet to a DEX or swap platform to start trading. Be sure to compare factors such as what pairs you can trade, as well as things like slippage and gas fees. Double-check that you're using the right wallet address before executing the trade, too. 4. Store Pepe coin safely Don't overlook the importance of safely storing Pepe coin or any other crypto after purchase. If buying through an exchange, some people leave their coins on the exchange's hosted wallet for simplicity, and perhaps you're more confident in its ability to safeguard your assets. That said, many people recommend not leaving coins on exchanges and instead keeping them in your own wallet or transferring them to cold storage (meaning a non-internet-connected wallet). That way, if an exchange is hacked, you're generally not at risk of losing your Pepe coins. Be sure to review token contracts closely to ensure you're getting what you intended rather than buying scam coins, and watch out for airdrop scams. FAQs Can I buy Pepe coin without ID You can buy Pepe coin without ID on several DEXs. However, check the rules and reputation of a platform before engaging on it. What network is Pepe coin on? Pepe runs on the Ethereum network and is an ERC-20 token. How can I store Pepe coin securely? Crypto security is somewhat subjective, but some common best practices to store Pepe coin securely include choosing a reputable wallet where you can store the private keys to access Pepe coin and establishing two-factor authentication for your wallet. Make sure you understand whatever option you choose, such as a hot versus cold wallet, so you can avoid falling victim to a scam.
Chicago Tribune
an hour ago
- Chicago Tribune
Former Better Government Association CEO Andy Shaw lists Loop condo for nearly $600,000
Former WLS-Channel 7 political reporter and retired Better Government Association president and CEO Andy Shaw and his wife, Mary, in early June placed their two-bedroom, 1,430-square-foot condo on the 16th floor of a Loop tower on the market for $599,900. Shaw was an award-winning political reporter at ABC 7 for 25 years before changing careers and heading the BGA from 2009 until 2018. He and his wife paid $570,000 in 2018 for the Loop condo. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, however, Shaw told Elite Street that he and his wife had been living 'pretty much full-time' in their large house in southwest Michigan, and that the extra space in that home 'was perfect for accommodating kids and grandkids who came here for work, school and kid care help.' Then, with his only Chicago-based family moving from Logan Square to Hyde Park — an easy ride from Michigan — 'the condo became totally extraneous,' he added. Shaw's condo, which is in the Legacy at Millennium Park building, has two bathrooms, a den, plus south, east and west exposures. It also has a kitchen with Sub-Zero and Bosch appliances, along with granite countertops and a large breakfast bar. Shaw said he has nothing but praise for the building. 'We loved the location near restaurants, culture, entertainment and the CTA to everywhere, plus the great staff, amenities like a gym, pool, hot tub and library, and as for the comfortable unit — it has a guest bedroom, office and a view of Millennium Park and the lake,' he said. 'It's hard to beat.' Shaw said that his wife pointed out that 'with multiple intellectual, cultural and entertainment activities in the building, easy interior access to the University Club and proximity to excellent medical facilities, it would be a perfect building for aging-in-place. But COVID made our Michigan home a better choice.' Chuck Gullett of Best Chicago Properties LLC has the listing. The Shaws' unit had a $11,509 property tax bill in the 2023 tax year. It also comes with $1,054-a-month homeowners association dues.
