@jethro , Three great posts - on three parts of investing: Why...

@jethro ,
Three great posts - on three parts of investing:

Why you get in
When you get in
When you get out

All point to the risk taken when a share is purchased and owned. As @bthotcop noted, perhaps the most important point of all that you have made is the last paragraph in your first post:

To further add to that and again this is only IMO be responsible, don't purchase ANY security with funds you need to live comfortably within the next 6- 12 months. Never put your entire portfolio on one "bet" no matter the pay-off, always manage risk and most importantly, PLAN AND RESEARCH BEFORE YOU PLACE THE ORDER NOT AFTER.

Too often I see tales of woe on these threads, where people put far too much into speculative (or any) stocks, and lose money. I read a post from a guy who is deep in the poo recently ... everybody should read this post:
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I have seen lots more like this, and it is distressing to see it happen, and contemplate what it means in a life.

XPED is a great prospect, and may be a great story in the future, but it is 2% of my portfolio, because that is the risk I am prepared to take on a speculative stock. That limit may reduce the money I make in the future, but it also limits what I can lose. If XPE fails, I will hardly notice (apart from short term clenched teeth), but if it takes off, I will still win a reasonable amount with respect to my portfolio value.

And, I sleep well at night.