What to do with inherited DuPont stocks?

[sliceofbread136]

A few year ago I inherited (actually gifted , my relative who gave them to me is still alive which I know doesn’t help from a tax point of view) around 80k of DuPont stocks which rose to around 100k and now have dropped to around 60k. If I paid more attention I probably would have sold the stock while high and placed in an index fund.

Recently DuPont split into 3 different companies, so I guess at least I have some diversification there? The few people I have talked to have advised that the chemical market is very cyclical and with relatively big companies like these that are unlikely to completely tank, it is smarter to ride out the low and wait for it to rise before selling and reinvesting. I just get very nervous having so much money in single stocks.

Any advice? Wait it out or sell?

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[The White Coat Investor]

I would be nervous too. You made a mistake not selling at $80K. You made a mistake not selling at $100K. You made a mistake not selling at $80K again. Are you going to make a mistake not selling at $60K? I think you know what you should do. Just ask yourself....if you had $60K today, would you put it all in Dupont stock? Probably not, but if you don't sell, that is in effect what you are doing. By not selling today and putting the money in an index fund, you are betting that Dupont will outperform the overall market. That seems like a risky bet to me. I wouldn't make it.

The good news about selling at $60K is the tax consequences will be less than selling at $80K.