Should I sell a portion of my stock to lock in gains?

[Donald.T]

I’m trying to decide if I should sell a portion of my position in a tech stock that’s had a big run-up to lock in some gains, but I’m worried about missing further upside if the trend continues. How do you all balance taking profits against letting your winners run?

[Evelyn.L]

I’ve been there dead serious. I sold a chunk after a big run, kept a core stake, and pushed a trailing stop on the rest. It let me lock in some gains without losing the taste of more upside, but I still catch myself peeking at every tick.

[TimothyL]

I overthink it a lot. Some days I feel like the real problem is the risk budget, not the stock. I’ve paused plans before when the math didn’t fit my tolerance, and later regretted not sticking to a simpler rule.

[NoraS]

I tried a simple rule: trim when the stock moves 15–20% from my entry, otherwise ride with a smaller remaining position. It helped avoid concentration and sleep better, but I know it means I sometimes skip rallies.

[George21]

One question for you: is the issue really the stock’s runway or your overall risk budget and liquidity needs?