If you opened any news last week and saw finance bros shedding real tears you’re not alone. As Gandhi once said, "Get your money up."

Or maybe he didn't say that? Either way, the stock market was historically dropping last week, wiping out trillions of dollars in value.

Fun fact: when financial news says something rose (or in this case, dropped) by X amount of "points," points refers to US dollars. And there were a lot of points dropping last week.

To grossly oversimplify: tariffs = higher costs = slower economic growth = investors freaking out = the market dropping.

As I mentioned in previous newsletters, tariffs are going to mean higher costs on your wallet. Since these tariffs are so broad, a lot of goods are likely to rise in price. That includes...

This also means higher costs for companies, which tends to tighten the job market. 

While a stock market downturn is tough on finances, they are not unheard of. In fact there is a term for it called...

When the stock market drops by 10% or more from a recent high, that’s what's called a “correction.”

Corrections happen. On average, the market goes through one every 1–2 years. It doesn’t mean the sky is falling—it just means prices are "correcting."

Note: This current correction is large and very well may begin a recession, though there is no guarantee. Recessions also happen, and you should be prepared.

The key is not to freak out. Corrections are part of investing. And your investment strategy should assume that the market will not always be positive. This is why I support long-term investing, not short term day-trading.

What the chart shows above is that historically, markets bounce back. Your best move is often no move at all: keep your money in, don’t try to time a rebound, and remind yourself that you’re in this for the long haul, even when things aren’t pretty.

Keep investing consistently. Keep trusting your process. And save up a bit of extra cash for groceries. Life is going to get pricier.

Dollar-cost averaging (DCA) just means putting in the same amount of money into your investments on a regular schedule—no matter what the market’s doing. It is an investment practice.

Putting the same amount of money into your investments minimizes the risk of bad investment timing, and takes the emotion out of investing. I want my finances to be simple and make sense.

You may miss out on outsized returns. If you are well researched/informed and involved with your finances, you can try to "time the market." That said, this often doesn't work.

Here’s how to do DCA:

That’s it. You’re investing without having to check the news every five minutes for what Trump decides to do next.

You’ve learned what a correction is. You’ve got a crash course on dollar-cost averaging. Now put it into action: pick one investment app you trust and set up an automatic transfer of a sum you know you can afford. Even if it's just $1 a month.

Make it boring. Make it invisible. Make it consistent. That’s how real wealth is built. 

The sooner you start, the sooner you’re riding the wave instead of panicking when it dips. And when you build up some confidence, consider adding more.

Build the habit, the wealth will follow ;).

Thank you so much for being a part of the Cense Newsletter. I am grateful to write to you weekly and I hope this helps you feel more confident with your finances.

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