And why staying the course matters more than timing the market
A couple of weeks ago, I quietly celebrated a personal milestone — my $50-a-week investing plan finally crossed the $10,000 threshold. That’s 50 weeks of automatic investing into VOO and QQQ, rain or shine, headlines or hiccups.
You’d think I’d be on cruise control by now. But here’s the truth: even after hitting that milestone, the little voice in my head still tries to sabotage my progress.
You know the one:
“The market’s high today… maybe wait a day or two. It’ll probably dip.”
“This week feels risky… what if we’re due for a correction?”
“Maybe I should pause and wait for a better entry point.”
This internal tug-of-war is something every investor—beginner or seasoned—faces. It’s not about numbers. It’s about behavior. Because investing isn’t just a financial decision. It’s a psychological game.
The Market Will Always Make You Second-Guess Yourself
The market is unpredictable, and it thrives on uncertainty. One day it’s flying high; the next, it’s reacting to a jobs report, a rate hike rumor, or a geopolitical tremor. You could read every headline, follow every analyst, and still miss the next move.
So we try to outsmart it. We try to time the perfect moment to buy.
But here’s the trap:
Trying to buy low and sell high sounds easy, until your emotions get involved.
When prices go down, fear whispers, “What if it keeps falling?”
When prices go up, doubt creeps in: “Did I just buy at the top?”
And in this paralysis, we do the worst thing possible for our future wealth:
We wait. We hesitate. We miss the compounding magic of consistency.
Why Staying the Course Is the Real Power Move
Investing isn’t about perfection. It’s about participation. It’s about showing up — week after week, paycheck after paycheck — even when the market feels a bit too high, or the news a bit too grim.
Here’s what that looks like:
- You buy when it’s red — even though it feels scary.
- You buy when it’s green — even though it feels expensive.
- You keep going — even though you don’t know what comes next.
This is the mindset that builds wealth. It’s what got me to $10,000, one $50 brick at a time. And it’s what will carry me — and anyone else willing to stay consistent — to $50K, $100K, or more.
It’s Not About Beating the Market
It’s About Not Letting the Market Beat You
Most investors don’t lose because they picked the wrong stock or ETF. They lose because they let their psychology get the best of them. Fear. Greed. Doubt. All of it clouds judgment and leads to jumping in and out at the worst possible times.
You don’t need to be smarter than Wall Street.
You just need to be more disciplined than your emotions.
Final Thought: The Best Time to Invest?
The answer isn’t yesterday or tomorrow.
It’s today.
Because the market doesn’t reward perfect timing.
It rewards time in the market.
So if you’re on the fence this week — wondering if now is a good time — I’ll just say what I told myself when I started:
“The best plan is the one you’ll stick with. And the best investment is the one you actually make.”
Want to see how I’ve grown my $50/week plan into a $10K portfolio? Read the milestone post here.
Related Articles:
- Weekly $50 Investment in VOO: A 22-Month Review
- How to Invest in VOO with Just $50 a Week: A Simple Guide to Growing Your Wealth
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