Hey everyone—
If you’re part of the personal finance world—especially the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement—you’ve likely seen the same thing I have: people on social media celebrating market downturns. “Bring on the recession!” “Back up the dump truck!” “Time to buy the dip!”
Look, I get it. You’re trying to stay strong. You’ve studied this stuff. You’ve read the books, listened to the podcasts, followed your favorite bloggers. You believe this is what smart investors do—buy low, stay calm, stick to the plan. I’ve studied personal finance for a long time. I’ve had thousands of conversations about money, many of them recorded for the world to hear. And here’s where I land:
I’m not confident. Not right now.
Not in the way many of you seem to be. Not with what I’m seeing.
This Is Different
I’m not saying panic. I’m not saying change your investment strategy. But I am saying: something big is happening here. Something we’ve never seen before. This isn’t just another economic cycle. This is uncharted territory.
We’re living under an administration that’s openly breaking norms. Whether you agree or disagree with the politics, the facts are what they are. The President is bypassing both the legislative and judicial branches through executive orders. Major power shifts. Targeting of private businesses. Tariffs. Attacks on long-held institutional structures. This isn’t just a new version of the same old thing—it’s something entirely different.
And when you do something radically different? You don’t get the same outcome. The result could be radically different too.
Maybe different better. Maybe different disaster. But different, nonetheless.
You’re Not Helping
When you hop onto Twitter or Facebook and trumpet your confidence, it may feel like you’re calming people down. But to many, it sounds smug. Arrogant, even. It doesn’t validate their fear—it dismisses it. It assumes this is just another blip. Just another bear market we’ll skate through.
But maybe it’s not.
Look, I hope things rebound. I hope the economy steadies, the market surges, and we all look back on this and laugh. But pretending to know that’s how it’ll go? That’s not strength. That’s hubris.
And what happens if you’re wrong?
“The Market Always Comes Back”
Does it?
Historically, yes. But we’ve also never had a president who publicly says his goal is to break the economy in order to rebuild it. We’ve never had such aggressive norm-breaking consolidated in one office. We’re seeing moves that bypass checks and balances altogether.
Again, I’m not here to say whether that’s good or bad. I’m just pointing out: it’s new. And with something new, the old assumptions might not hold.
So maybe don’t tell people, “Just stick to the plan.” Maybe don’t shout over their fear with borrowed confidence. Maybe sit with them in the uncertainty for a moment.
Because this is uncomfortable. And people are allowed to feel that way.
“So What Do We Do?”
Honestly? I don’t know.
I’m not changing my asset allocation. But I’m also not pretending that everything is fine. I’m white-knuckling it like everyone else. Because if I act out of fear, I’ll probably get it wrong. But that doesn’t mean I feel secure.
I’m just… hoping.
And if you’re in the accumulation phase with a stable job and some margin, maybe you can afford to hope too.
But not everyone can. Not everyone’s a high earner. Not everyone has job security. Not everyone is decades away from needing their portfolio to pay them back.
Some folks are in the decumulation phase. Some are nearing retirement. Some are already stretched to the edge. And what looks like opportunity to you might look like chaos to them.
You’ve Pivoted Before. You’ll Pivot Again.
That’s what I do believe. If you’re reading this, odds are you’ve done hard things. You’ve been agile. You’ve adjusted. You’ve rebounded. That’s what personal finance is really about—building resilience.
So maybe you’ll spend less. Maybe you’ll side hustle. Maybe you’ll move, retool, downshift, or reinvent. You’ve done it before. You can do it again.
But don’t pretend like everything is fine. It’s not fine. It’s just… unknown.
And when we’re in the unknown, the best we can do is admit it—and walk through it together.
Let Me Say It Again: You Might Be Wrong.
You might be right, too.
But what matters more is how we treat each other while we wait to find out.
So if your investing plan tells you to buy when the market dips? Do it. Quietly. Confidently. But please—stop telling everyone else to do the same.
They might not have your risk tolerance. They might not have your income. They might not have your time horizon. They might not have your privilege.
And none of us have a crystal ball.
So lead with humility.
We’re all white-knuckling it right now.
Let’s not pretend otherwise.
Did you catch this week’s episode of Earn & Invest (Click to listen)?
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