Let me be clear on something: building your own portfolio of high-potential picks doesn't mean abandoning index funds. That's the whole point. You're not playing all-or-nothing here—you're stacking the deck in your favor while maintaining solid fundamentals.

So here's what I've done. I identified the FAANG giants, studied what made them dominate, then cracked the pattern. Once you understand that formula, you can hunt for the next wave of breakout stocks yourself. The blueprint exists—you just need to know what to look for.

The real strategy? Run both tracks simultaneously. Keep your index fund as the stable backbone. Then allocate a portion—call it your "opportunity fund"—to cherry-pick stocks with FAANG-like potential. It's not reckless; it's strategic.

This comes down to choice. You should have the right to decide your own financial path, whether that's 80% index / 20% individual picks, or whatever splits make sense for your risk tolerance. That's what financial democracy actually means—not forcing everyone into one box.