Editor's note: A version of this article first appeared in June 2020. Read the latest on how the coronavirus is rattling the markets and what investors can do to navigate it. I once created quite when a stir when I wrote the following on Twitter: "I'll say it: Individual stocks are TERRIBLE investments for people just starting out. I know that many people learned about investing through their Disney shares yadda yadda but I think we need to be clearer about this when we discuss financial education." "So much ink has been spilled discussing the failings of active managers. But we haven't talked enough about how poorly many small investors are apt to do with individual-stock purchases, especially if they're just learning. Now seems like a good time to drive home this point."