2 quotes I'm thinking about as the stock market tanks 📉

They're helping me stay anchored to my financial plan ⚓️

Serenity now.

The stock market got wrecked this week, with the S&P 500 tumbling 9.1%. Friday’s 6% plunge was the biggest one-day loss since March 16, 2020. The index is now down 17.4% from its February 19 closing high of 6,144.15.

As a long-term investor in the stock market, I understand that getting smoked in the short-term is part of the deal.

As a human being with a “big dumb lizard brain,” I can’t help but get caught up in the news and be tempted to trade this market.

At some point this week, I bet a lot of you were like me and said to yourself: “Yesterday, I thought about selling. And today, the market’s way down. I would’ve been right!”

It’s funny how everything makes sense in hindsight.

In reality, attempts to time the market — while it can obviously help if you get it right — can prove very costly if you get it wrong. Because for long-term investors, timing this market means getting two trades right: selling before prices go down further and buying back in before prices go much higher. Get one of those wrong, and you’ll be behind.

So amid all the craziness, two quotes come to mind.