Well, well, well, it's that time again! After the recent election and subsequent stock market decline, people are losing their minds. Between Twitter, TikTok, and my text message inbox, the world has ended, and anyone hoping to retire someday is absolutely screwed. Or, as one person who texted me put it, "After what happened this week, I'll have to delay my retirement for at least a year."
This sentiment is spreading equally across social media and in real life. I stumbled into at least a half-dozen conversations this week about this very topic. The world is melting, and we're all victims. What's the truth, though?
Yes, the stock market is down. Yes, it felt scary for a few days. Yes, things feel weird. The truth? Based on the cold, hard facts, the stock market is at a level not seen since late July......of this year. Oh yeah, the current stock market price had never before been reached until 5/8/2026. You read that correctly. When we hit this level on May 8th, just a handful of months ago, it was the first time in more than 155 years we had ever ascended to that level. We recognized it as an all-time high for this nation.
Six months ago, we were celebrating the achievement of unprecedented success. Now, just six months later and at the same price, because we had a few bad days, we're emotionally melting down and proclaiming that our futures are trash? Do you see how absurd this is?
Don't fall for their games! Don't let the fear machine manipulate you. They want you scared, angry, and reactive. Many people around you are. Don't be one of them. The scared, angry, and reactive will likely make some critical mistakes that self-sabotage various aspects of their lives. The patient and calm will be rewarded. Be the latter!
Will the stock market crash? Yes. When? No idea. What should we do about it? Nothing. Here's what we shouldn't do, though. We shouldn't freak out at the first glimpse of something weird or negative. Instead, we should live our lives, make wise choices, and choose not to let fear dictate our steps. Meaning. Don't lose sight of the meaning. We can't control the stock market, but we can control the focus of our time, energy, and attention.
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