If you have followed the news over the second half of last week, the hoopla surrounding the GameStop (GME) has seemed to dominate the news. It was an exciting story that seemed to take on a David vs. Goliath feel as retail investors managed to do some damage to at least one Wall Street hedge fund. There was also the Robinhood angle to the story where it was hypothesized (rightly or wrongly?) that the trading platform blocked GameStop buys after a while and was in cahoots with hedge funds over the move. And then there were a few Wall Street experts who added their professional takes–and warnings–to it all. The GameStop phenomenon took off pretty quickly with the help of social media, particularly a sub-Reddit known as WallStreetBets. Given the speed at which people rushed to buy GameStop stock, I would not be shocked if little thought or research was done by many except to see the prices going up and hearing how others are taking advantage of it. This can be quite dangerous, especially if you don’t really know how markets work and don’t have the ability to track them closely. Keep in mind too, that SOMEONE on Wall Street will make a lot of money off this–it won’t just be retail investors. So, what is the purpose of this post? Well, first off, I want to remind you–and I’ve stated this before–be careful when getting caught up in investing trends, especially those that may have an emotional aspect. It can be nice feeling like you are sticking it to the fat cats on Wall Street, but that doesn’t mean it’s really the best move for you and your portfolio. This may be tough to do, but take a deep breath before making an investment that may have an emotional aspect and reconsider whether it’s in your best interest. Now that the emotion part is addressed, if you do chase the trends, you should think about what your “walk away” point is. Is there a certain stock value you will sell at? Will you ride it out? These are important questions anytime you find yourself investing in stocks that are on a rapid rise. Of course, taking some time to do some research on the stock can also be very helpful. If you have questions about your portfolio or investments, don’t be afraid to reach out to an investment professional or wealth manager. So, did you ride the GameStop wave?