Last week’s scheduled investing day hit a $83k wall of selling. I stared at the screen for twenty minutes, my finger hovering over the confirm button, and finally I closed my eyes and bought. For the few minutes after I placed the order, my heart was beating faster than the code release.
Looking back now, it didn’t move by many percentage points, but that feeling of “doing it even though you know it’s uncomfortable” is more valuable than returns. Dollar-cost averaging isn’t buying at the absolute lowest—it’s buying at every moment you’re afraid to. The principal is still being built; if you’re panicking, panic—just make sure the order goes through.
Looking back now, it didn’t move by many percentage points, but that feeling of “doing it even though you know it’s uncomfortable” is more valuable than returns. Dollar-cost averaging isn’t buying at the absolute lowest—it’s buying at every moment you’re afraid to. The principal is still being built; if you’re panicking, panic—just make sure the order goes through.