I Lost 10% of My Retirement in a Week — Here’s Why I’m Still Investing During This Market Downturn
I Lost 10% of My Retirement in a Week — And Why I’m Still Investing During This Market Downturn
Right now, the stock market is shaky again — headlines about new tariffs, global slowdowns, and recession fears are everywhere. A lot of people are wondering:
“Should I pull my money out? Wait it out? Pause investing until things stabilize?”
I get it. I’ve been there. And I want to share the biggest investing mistake I ever made — and what it taught me about why you should keep investing even during uncertain times.
🧾 The Mistake: A 401(k) Rollover Gone Wrong
Back in early 2020, right as the COVID-19 panic started crashing the markets, I was switching jobs and decided to roll over my 401(k).
No big deal, right? Just move the money from one retirement account to another.
Except I screwed it up.
The rollover required my old account to sell all of my investments, and then send the cash to the new plan. But I missed a signature on the paperwork, and the whole thing took over a week.
In that week — the market dropped 10%.
Because the money wasn’t invested during that crash, I didn’t just “ride out” the dip — I locked in the loss. When I re-entered the market a week later, I was buying back in at higher prices, and my portfolio was down thousands.
📉 What That Loss Taught Me (and Why It Applies Right Now)
It hurt. A lot. But it was one of the most important investing lessons I’ve ever learned:
- You don’t win by timing the market. Even accidentally, trying to time when to be in or out of the market can backfire. Missing just a few days of a rebound can cost you big.
- Emotions are expensive. Panic, hesitation, waiting for “the perfect time” — all of these can drag down your returns far more than a temporary downturn.
- Long-term consistency always wins. I kept investing after that mistake. I maxed out my 401(k) every year. I invested in index funds automatically. And now that account is worth more than it’s ever been.
📊 Tariffs, Headlines, and Today’s Market
Lately, I’ve seen this pattern again:
Markets dip after new tariff threats or inflation worries. People start pulling back. Social media fills up with talk of a recession.
But if you zoom out? These moments happen every few years — and the market always recovers.
- In 2020, it was COVID.
- In 2022, inflation.
- In 2024–2025, maybe it’s tariffs and trade war fears.
But guess what? In every single case, the people who stayed invested came out ahead.
✅ What I’m Doing Now (and What You Can Do Too)
I’m doing exactly what I did after my 401(k) mistake:
- Staying in the market
- Investing automatically
- Focusing on long-term growth, not short-term fear
And I encourage you to do the same.
Don’t let one downturn — or one mistake — stop you from building the wealth you want.