CHARLOTTESVILLE — The holiday season can be a time for reflection and introspection, and for one young man, it has proven to be a humbling experience. David L. Sinclaire, a student at a local university, realized that when it comes to his investments in the volatile cryptocurrency market that his mother was right all along.

One year ago, when he was high on money, Mountain Dew, and alt coins, David brushed off his mother's advice to take some profits and instead doubled down on his investments in various alt coins. But as the market began a downward spiral he was left holding on to a bunch of bags that looked like alphabet soup on his CoinGecko, and for which he could not justify any real utility.

In this moment of regret, David realized that if he had listened to his mother and sold a third of his holdings, his net worth would be double its current amount. "Think of all the crypto I could buy with that, now," David noted. But no amount of thinking could bring back that bullish fervor of the peaks of the mountains - the wind in his hair, the charts beneath his feet - standing on top of the world.

"I was caught up in the hype," he admitted. "I thought numbers only go up and parents just don’t understand."

Despite his losses, David remains hopeful for the future of the cryptocurrency market and is taking his mother's advice to heart and being more cautious with his investments.

“He’s a sweet boy,” said David’s mom. “But I’m not holding my breath on his bitcoins collection. He used to be be like this with baseball cards too.”

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