Okay, let me tell you about this Snowball Cup 2023 thing I got myself into. Heard about it from somewhere, maybe online, can’t exactly recall. Sounded kind of interesting, like a challenge, so I thought, why not give it a shot.
Getting Started
First thing was signing up. That part was easy enough. Just had to fill in some basic details on their site. Nothing too complicated. Once I was in, they gave everyone the same starting amount of virtual money. The goal was pretty simple: make that pile grow bigger than everyone else’s pile by the end date. A classic paper trading competition, basically.
I didn’t have some grand strategy, honestly. I’m not a Wall Street genius or anything. I just looked at some companies I knew, maybe read a few headlines here and there. My whole approach was pretty much gut feeling mixed with a little bit of common sense, or what I hoped was common sense.
The Grind
So, I started picking some stocks. Threw some virtual cash at tech companies, ’cause they always seem to be in the news. Put a bit into some consumer goods companies too, figuring people always need stuff, right? Here’s roughly what I did:
- Picked about 5-6 different stocks to start.
- Tried not to put all my fake eggs in one basket.
- Checked the portfolio almost every day. This became a bit of a habit.
- Made a couple of trades after the first week, dumped one stock that was just sinking like a rock.
- Mostly just held on and watched the numbers go up and down.
Man, watching those numbers was something else. Some days you feel like a genius, other days you feel like an idiot. Saw a nice little jump early on, got my hopes up. Then, bam, market does its thing and takes a chunk back. It was a real rollercoaster, even though it wasn’t real money. It’s funny how invested you get. I spent more time checking those virtual stocks than I probably should have.
Wrapping Up
The competition had a set end date. As it got closer, I didn’t make any big, crazy moves. Just let things ride. Honestly, by the last week, I knew I wasn’t going to be anywhere near the top. Some folks must have made some really bold bets that paid off big time, or maybe they just knew way more than me.
When the final day hit, the competition just closed. Locked everything in. Then there was the waiting part, seeing the final rankings. No big surprise, I was somewhere solidly in the middle of the pack. Not dead last, but definitely not getting any prizes.
So, yeah. That was my Snowball Cup 2023 experience. Signed up, picked some stocks based on guesswork, watched them go up and down, and finished somewhere average. Didn’t win anything, didn’t lose any real money. It was an okay experience, passed the time. Learned a bit about how much I don’t know about picking stocks, I guess. Maybe I’ll try again next year, maybe not. We’ll see.
