Edit: Looks like this is actually a fake post. Nevertheless Tesla was around $3.5 early 2010 July. So had you bought then and would have held it until now, that would beat most traders' cumulative return easily.
Hindsight bias. For every 1 person who buys and holds a stonk like TSLA there are at least 10,000 people who buy a turd or mediocre portfolio that doesnt even beat the S&P. Like my aunt who bought GE stock 15 years ago thinking she couldnt go wrong..
I put a 100 shares on Enron in my investment account in August of 2000 was trading around 90. Decided to be passive you know just let it ride and DRIP it. Haven't even bothered to check on it these past 21 years as I might be tempted to sell and really want to let my winners run. I'll give it a look Sunday maybe I should rebalance my portfolio.
When the market is sooo bullish, and bitcoin keeps on breaking new high, millions of people would say investing beats trading. But people forget about the Financial Crisis in 2008. Imagined you invested heavily in Lehman Brothers at $70. Where is the $$$ now?!?!? Or you invested in Barrings Bank, UK which was a very established rock solid merchant bank. Where is the $$$ now?!?!? Or you invested in GE XOP XOM XXX .... many many years ago. How much $$$$ left ?!?!?! Personally, I'd say trading beats investing. investing or trading is not for anyone. choose one of them, and be very good at it.