I asked him how well his investments turned out so far. He told me that he hadn't made much money. I pointed out that if he was diversified, he should have been making a great deal of money. I told him I couldn't give him one. But I could give him some overall general advice.
Money is made through a series of transactions over a long period of time.
There will be both wins and losses. After that I explained why the stock market keeps on going up and down. Fluctuations occur partly because companies make money, or lose money. But it is much more involved than that. A stock is only worth what someone will pay for it.