E40: Staying the Course: Mastering Emotional Investing for CRNAs

The investing legend and founder of Vanguard John Bogle popularized the phrase, “stay the course.” As simple as this phrase may be, I believe it is the epitome of investing wisdom, and our recent experience has provided an excellent illustration of its enduring relevance.

When Liberation Day happened earlier this year and unexpectedly high tariffs were announced, the market responded as one would expect: it cratered in short order. Inevitably, some investors took that as a sign to exit the market before things got worse, thinking they were sheltering themselves from risk.

But what they may not have realized is that the decision to exit the market was also a risk, just in a different form. Because as we’re going to discuss here today, within the span of just a few weeks, the market rebounded and is now near all-time highs again. So, for anyone who sold out of their equity portfolios, what are they to do now?

Contents hide

1 The Cost of Emotional Investing

2 The biggest threat to your financial future isn’t just market volatility. It’s how you respond to it.

3 Episode Highlights

4 Links Relevant to this Episode

4.1 Never miss a new episode! Subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

The Cost of Emotional Investing

We’ve learned through the years that as uncomfortable as staying the course can sometimes be, it’s the only way I know to be sure we earn the full return the market has to offer. It’s why I think one of the most useful investing aphorisms is if you never sell, you never have to regret having sold.

So, I’m curious: have any of you looked at your investment account during a downturn over these last five months and felt that sinking feeling in your stomach? If so, you’re not alone.

And maybe you’ve even thought, I can’t afford to lose this. Should I sell now before it gets worse? That kind of thinking, well, that’s exactly what today’s episode is about, because here’s the truth.

The biggest threat to your financial future isn’t just market volatility. It’s how you respond to it.

Volatility is normal, even expected. In fact, it’s the price we pay for the long-term growth we want.

But emotional decision-making isn’t just costly, it’s repeatable. Until we name it and tame it, we’re likely to keep making the same mistakes over and over again. That’s why today we’re pulling back the curtain on why your brain might be your portfolio’s worst enemy, and how to build habits and safeguards that let you act like a rational investor—even when everything in the world feels uncertain.

You’ve worked too hard to let fear drive your decisions. So, let’s talk about how to stay calm, stay grounded, and most importantly, stay invested.