Benzinga and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue on some items through the links below.
Nothing gets tossed around faster than the phrase “can’t lose” — right before someone does.
That’s the dilemma one woman shared on Reddit after investing in her boyfriend’s friend’s startup, a deal she said was pitched as “100% safe.” She asked questions before handing over the money, and while her investment was eventually returned late and with less interest than promised, she still walked away with a profit.
Her boyfriend’s story ended very differently.
Don’t Miss:
According to the post, he had invested with the same person multiple times, earning profits early on before rolling them into additional investments. Eventually, the startup collapsed, wiping out not only those gains but his entire savings.
Now, she says, he wants her profit to help cover his losses.
“I feel bad he lost everything,” she wrote. “But I feel he put me in a horrible situation because I almost lost everything and now he wants my profit because he did.”
She added that her boyfriend had been generous while his investments were doing well, helping her financially when she was struggling. After her own finances improved, she repaid him for what he had spent on her and returned the favor in other ways. Still, she never expected to be asked to hand over the money she earned from the investment.
Trending: If there was a new fund backed by Jeff Bezos offering a 7-9% target yield with monthly dividends would you invest in it?
Reddit Wasn’t Buying the Argument
Commenters overwhelmingly sided with the woman.
“What he’s asking for, a share of your profits when he lost his, feels weird because it is weird,” one Reddit user wrote. “While investments are different, it kind of sounds like a gambling addiction.”
Another commenter didn’t mince words on responsibility.
“OP said she already gave him reimbursement money,” the user wrote. “Now he is wanting every penny. Do not give him anymore.”
Others echoed the same message, arguing that every investor accepts the possibility of losing money and that one person’s gains don’t become someone else’s safety net when a deal goes sideways.
There Is No Such Thing as ‘100% Safe’
Perhaps the biggest red flag wasn’t the loss itself. It was the promise.
No legitimate investment—whether it’s a startup, real estate project, cryptocurrency or stock—comes with a 100% guarantee. Anyone making that claim deserves extra scrutiny.
See Also: The AI Gold Rush Needs Picks And Shovels Too — This Company Is Building The Infrastructure Layer.
That’s also why financial decisions shouldn’t hinge on a friend’s recommendation or a viral social media post. Even well-meaning people can be wrong, and enthusiasm isn’t the same thing as due diligence.
For people interested in startups, there are more transparent ways to participate. Companies such as Mode Mobile allow everyday investors to buy into a business directly through regulated offerings rather than informal deals arranged through friends of friends.
Mode Mobile, creator of the EarnPhone, says it has attracted more than 50 million registered beta users with technology that lets people earn money through everyday smartphone activity. The company is currently raising capital from retail investors through a regulated offering, giving individuals the opportunity to invest in a private company while reviewing its offering documents and business disclosures before deciding whether to participate.
Even then, startups remain speculative investments. Amazon and Tesla rewarded early believers with extraordinary returns, but thousands of other startups never reached that point.
The lesson isn’t to avoid opportunity. It’s to avoid confusing confidence with certainty. The fastest way to lose money is believing someone who says you can’t.
Read Next: Wall Street Traders Pay Thousands For Market Data. This Platform Gives Everyday Investors Access To Advanced Tools.
Building Wealth Across More Than Just the Market
Building a resilient portfolio means thinking beyond a single asset or market trend. Economic cycles shift, sectors rise and fall, and no one investment performs well in every environment. That’s why many investors look to diversify with platforms that provide access to real estate, fixed-income opportunities, precious metals, and even self-directed retirement accounts. By spreading exposure across multiple asset classes, it becomes easier to manage risk, capture steady returns, and create long-term wealth that isn’t tied to the fortunes of just one company or industry.
Arrived
Backed by Jeff Bezos, Arrived Homes makes real estate investing accessible with a low barrier to entry. Investors can buy fractional shares of single-family rentals and vacation homes starting with as little as $100. This allows everyday investors to diversify into real estate, collect rental income, and build long-term wealth without needing to manage properties directly.
FarmTogether
Farmland has historically held its value through market volatility and delivered returns uncorrelated to stocks and bonds. For accredited investors, FarmTogether offers direct access to high-quality U.S. farmland starting at $15,000 — fully managed, with no landlord headaches.
Fundrise
Private real estate and private credit can add income and stability to a stock-heavy portfolio. Fundrise offers access to diversified private real estate and credit strategies through an easy-to-use platform, with professionally managed portfolios designed to generate passive income and long-term growth.
Realberry
Institutional-quality real estate has traditionally been difficult for individual investors to access. Realberry gives accredited investors direct access to private real estate opportunities backed by a team with 35 years of experience, $3.4 billion in assets under management, and $481 million in cumulative distributions paid to investors as of Q4 2025, according to the company. With a portfolio spanning 13 million square feet across seven U.S. states, Realberry focuses on acquiring, developing, and managing real estate with an emphasis on long-term value creation while its principals often invest alongside clients to help align interests.
Immersed
Immersed is building technology for the future of work through spatial computing. Known for its AR/VR productivity platform that enables users to work across multiple virtual screens, the company has grown to more than 1.5 million users worldwide. Immersed is also developing Visor, a lightweight headset designed specifically for professional productivity, positioning the company at the intersection of remote work, extended reality (XR), and next-generation computing.
BluSky AI
The rapid adoption of artificial intelligence is creating significant demand for data centers, power, and compute infrastructure. BluSky AI is building modular AI data centers designed to support next-generation AI workloads while aiming to reduce deployment timelines compared to traditional facilities. For investors looking beyond AI software and applications, the company offers exposure to the infrastructure layer that makes artificial intelligence possible.
Vinovest
Fine wine and rare whiskey have historically moved independently of the stock market, making them a compelling alternative asset. Vinovest manages authenticated, insured portfolios of investment-grade wine and whiskey starting at $5,000 — sourcing, storage, and insurance all handled for you.
EquityMultiple
For accredited investors looking beyond stocks and bonds, EquityMultiple provides access to vetted commercial real estate deals starting at $5,000, with only ~5% of opportunities passing their due diligence process.
Mode Mobile
Mode Mobile is changing the way people interact with their phones by letting users earn money from the same apps and activities they already use every day. Instead of platforms keeping all the advertising revenue, Mode Mobile shares a portion back with users who engage with content, play games, and scroll on their devices. Named one of Deloitte’s fastest-growing software companies in North America, the company has built a large beta user base and is scaling a model that turns everyday smartphone usage into a potential income stream.
Image: Shutterstock
This article I Invested in My Boyfriend’s Friend’s Startup He Claimed Was 100% Safe — I Got My Money Back With a Profit, But He Lost Everything and Now Wants Mine originally appeared on Benzinga.com
© 2026 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
