I know the answer will be “it depends,” so let’s consider my situation. I’ve been in the workforce for over a year now and am well adjusted to the daily routine. I have paid back all my debts and substantially contributing to retirement using the common vehicles. For the last few months, I’ve dedicated a significant amount of my free time to researching investment opportunities and very little to becoming a better software engineer. However, I am realizing that this time could be better spent advancing my marketable skills, which could have financially outweighed the gains made from researching how to diversify my portfolio. I (and I imagine others) would greatly benefit from hearing about other’s experiences with this dilemma, so thank you for sharing!