The thrill of finding the next hot cryptocurrency or tech stock can be exhilarating, but tracking that goose that lays the golden egg is more of a “needle in a haystack” than a real strategy.
Sam Byrne, a 25-year-old investor and co-owner of Liverpool’s Block P, the self-proclaimed number one Air Max 95 store in the world, told Moneywise during an interview in November that chasing hype stocks never got him anywhere meaningful. Instead, it took an approach of steady growth rather than betting on the next big thing.
“People don’t want to do that because they want to buy Bitcoin or find the next Tesla or Amazon,” he said. “Instead of trying to buy or find the needle in the haystack, I just buy the haystack and hope that over time it averages out, and I feel like that’s the smartest way to do it for me.”
But how does that strategy work for everyone else facing adversity?
After a serious accident where he fractured his skull playing football, Byrne walked away from his job and threw himself into the market. During the pandemic, he made some money by investing in stocks. But the experience taught him something more important: Investing, he says, is one of the best ways to make your money work for you. How you invest determines whether you build wealth.
Today, the bulk of Byrne’s portfolio is in a stocks and shares ISA, the UK’s closest cousin to a Roth IRA (1). Like a Roth, you contribute after-tax dollars and enjoy tax-free withdrawals, but an ISA is not tied to retirement and has different rules.
“It’s a tax-free account that builds up over time and a lot of my wealth is just in a tracker that tracks the S&P 500, which on average will increase about 8% annually over the last 50 years,” he said.
Recent performance backs this up. The S&P 500 is up 23% in 2024, driven by AI momentum and a rebound in the tech sector. In the last two years, it has risen 53%, one of its strongest runs since the late 1990s (2).
Morgan Housel, the New York Times bestselling author of The psychology of moneyechoed the same philosophy when speaking to Moneywise recently. The secret to generating wealth is not outwitting the market, he said. It remains on the market.
Instead of chasing the next Tesla, Housel aims to be “an average investor for an above-average period of time.” Or, as Byrne says, don’t waste time looking for the needle. Just buy the haystack.
“I don’t think anyone can outperform the market,” Housel told Moneywise. The variable I want to maximize with my investments is resistance and longevity.”
Read more: Vanguard reveals what could happen to US stocks and is ringing alarm bells for retirees. Here’s why and how to protect yourself
Byrne still sees real value in alternative assets, especially in the market he understands best: sneakers. Or, as the Brit in him would say, trainers.
He pointed to one example, the Air Max 95 Beetroot. Byrne bought 100 pairs at £140 each, held onto them and watched the value rise. Today they are worth around £310 and last season he sold them for around £280 a pair, almost doubling his investment. It wasn’t luck. It was knowing exactly what would move and why.
And that wasn’t even his biggest victory.
“I think the maximum price we have ever sold a pair of shoes for was around six thousand pounds,” he said, adding that the buyer later sold that same pair at auction for £12,000.
But not all sneakers are an investment. Investing in sneakers only works if you understand what creates value (3). Condition matters, as pairs in their original box sit at the top of the market, while used or signed shoes can be even more valuable if they’re tied to an important cultural moment. Rarity also plays a huge role, especially with limited editions and region-exclusive colorways.
Cultural relevance can turn an ordinary garment into a collector’s item, and even size affects demand, with American men’s sizes 8 to 10 typically being the strongest.
For Byrne, those nuances are why sneakers are not a gamble but a legitimate alternative asset class.
Being intentional with your portfolio will only get you halfway there. The other half is being honest about where your money goes when you’re not looking. Byrne says one of the biggest pitfalls he sees, especially among younger investors, is the lure of consumerism.
“People want materialistic goods. They don’t really want to put that money into long-term investments,” he said.
Dr. David Dubois, associate professor of marketing at INSEAD, said Forbes That status remains a critical factor behind luxury spending, even if no one wants to admit it.
“Status is one of the key core motivations that explains why people buy luxury,” he said. “Obviously, no one cares to admit that they want to build their status by buying luxury items… but status building is very important because people want respect in the eyes of others.”
The data backs it up. A recent survey by Boston Consulting Group and Worth Media found that 54% of wealthy Millennials openly use luxury purchases to signal wealth and achievement, while 70% worry about projecting the right image.
At the end of the day, Byrne’s approach isn’t about depriving yourself or pretending that status doesn’t matter. It’s about deciding what version of yourself you want your money to serve. Whether you’re buying index funds or selling Air Max 95s, the lesson is the same: You don’t need the needle. Buy the haystack, be consistent and give your money time to grow.
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The Investor Center (1); Visual Capitalist (2); Timeless (3); Forbes (4; Worth Magazine (5).
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
