She's On The Money - Everyone’s Panicking About the Market... Here’s Why I’m Not (and You Shouldn't Either)

Episode Date: March 14, 2025

The news is making it sound like the sky is falling, your portfolio might be looking a little red, and you’re wondering… should I be worried? But before you make any big moves, let’s talk about what’s actually happening—and why staying the course might be your best move yet. In this episode, Victoria breaks down:📉 What’s really going on with the market (and why it’s not the end of the world)📉How to tune out the noise and avoid panic-driven money decisions📉Why dips are a normal part of investing—and how smart investors see them as an opportunity📉What Victoria is doing with her own investments right now📉Market downturn or investing discount? How to reframe what’s happening If you’ve been feeling unsure about what this all means for your money, this episode will help you make sense of it—without the stress.Want to feel more confident with your investing? Our Investing Masterclass is now open for enrollments... come join us here! Starts April 1.  Join our 300K+ She's on the Money community in our Facebook Group and on Instagram.  Acknowledgement of Country By Natarsha Bamblett aka Queen Acknowledgements. The advice shared on She's On The Money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances. She's On The Money exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision. If you do choose to buy a financial product, read the PDS, TMD and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs.  Victoria Devine and She's On The Money are authorised representatives of Money Sherpa PTY LTD ABN - 321649 27708,  AFSL - 451289.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hello, my name is Natasha Nabanunga-Bamblett. I'm a proud Yorta Yorta, Kernai, Wolperi and Awadjuri woman. And before we get started on She's on the Money podcast, I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land of which this podcast is recorded on Awadjuri country, acknowledging the elders, the ancestors and the next generation coming through. As this podcast is about connecting, empowering, knowledge sharing and the storytelling of you to make a difference for today and lasting impact for tomorrow. Let's get into it. She's on the money. She's on the money.

hello and welcome to she's on the money the podcast that keeps your investments growing and your stress levels low. Okay, so I've been getting a bunch of messages about the share market taking a little bit of a hit, the US recession fears and Trump making policy moves. And we've also been talking in my DMs a lot about the ASX dropping billions of dollars in value. And of course, the headlines are making it sound so overly dramatic. But here's the thing, I'm not worried. I'm Victoria Devine. I'm an ex-financial advisor who has helped hundreds, if not thousands of clients make millions through investing. I've seen these market freakouts before and you know what? I'm going to see them again. And honestly,

they're actually where the real money is being made. So if you are like a lot of people in my community and you are panicking about your investments right now, or you're thinking of pulling your money out of the market, or maybe even refreshing your super balance every five minutes, this episode is exactly what you need to hear right now. Let's start by breaking down what's actually happening. Trump is being, well, he's being Trump again, right? He's introduced new tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China, which is making businesses really hesitant to invest because they don't know what's coming next. CEOs are holding back on their spending and their hiring, which is then in turn slowing down economic growth. And then there's the Department

of Government Efficiency, or the DOGE, led by Elon Musk. This new initiative is all about slashing federal spending, and that's leading to really large-scale public sector layoffs, especially in Washington, D.C. And my friend, here is the thing. If there are fewer government jobs, there are fewer paychecks. And if there are fewer paychecks, there's lower consumer spending. And if there's lower consumer spending, that equals slower economic activity. When asked about all of this in a very relatable Fox News interview, Trump didn't deny the possibility of a recession. Instead, he decided to call it a transition period. Meanwhile, his treasury secretary referred to it as a detox period, as they still push ahead with spending cuts. And the market

has reacted to his comments, understandably so. At the time of us recording this, we've seen the S&P 500, which is the top 500 companies in America, tumble about 2.7% overnight. The NASDAQ has slumped 4% and our ASX, or the Australian Stock Exchange, has lost about $50 billion worth of value, which means you're probably seeing a little bit of red in your share portfolio when you're logging in, and that can be really stressful. I get it. Historically, we have spoken about how a US market dip then in turn impacts Australia so much, but here's a little quick refresher. We follow Wall Street. The Australian stock market takes cues from global trends and when the US stock market drops, the Australian stock exchange tends to dip as well.

Australia's economy is heavily tied to exports, so if Trump's trade war slows down, China's economy, demand for iron ore, coal and agricultural goods could actually take a hit as well. And when global markets look unstable and they just don't look like a place you want to be, investor confidence ultimately drops, which means more Australian investors start selling out of fear and we get a little bit worried, which then leads to even bigger market swings and dips. But does that mean you should also panic and sell all of your shares? My friend, absolutely not. I really do get it. I get stressed too. Seeing red in your portfolio is never fun. But before you make any big moves, let's take a breath and let's step back. Because while the

headlines are literally designed to freak you out because that's what sells media, history tells a really different story. Stick with me because I'm going to explain after the break and I'll let you in on exactly what I am personally doing with my investments right now. Don't go anywhere. All right, so we are back and we know what's happening with the headlines. We know the headlines are dramatic. The market is currently down. And if you're checking your investments, you might be feeling a little bit uneasy right now. And while, yes, I do have thoughts about what Trump's actions will do to the economy when it comes to the share market, here's why I'm

actually not worried. And my friend, why you shouldn't be either. News outlets, they love a dramatic headline. Words like plummet and crash and market meltdown. The media wants you to panic because panic gets clicks, fear sells, but making financial decisions based on fear or maybe even what the masses are doing is literally how you're going to lose a lot of money. Bear with me, let's go back in time to when the COVID crash happened. It was way worse than this little dip with a 34% drop in honestly just weeks. But this time, instead of following the masses and panic selling, let's pretend you actually put $10,000 into the share market. That money today would be worth about $30,000. So my friend, the best investors aren't actually running around with their hair

on fire right now. They're calmly looking for opportunities. Don't get me wrong. They have seen the red and they got that drop in their stomach too, but they knew to step back and look at the bigger picture, because when shares are down, stocks are on sale. You're buying more with less. That's a money win. Smart investors know that the market moves in cycles. This isn't new information. This is literally how the markets work. Right now, we're in the downturn phase. Something like rising interest rates, political uncertainty, or in this case, Trump's tariffs, have triggered a sell-on. Prices start to fall, investors get really nervous and the headlines, they go into overdrive. The media is here to make money. This is when panic sets in and a lot of

people make the mistake of selling down their portfolios and ultimately locking in their losses out of fear. But here's the thing, this phase, it doesn't last forever. After the downturns comes accumulation. The phase where experienced investors start buying while the prices are low. Markets might feel really uncertain, but this is when savvy investors see an opportunity. They're essentially buying quality assets at a discount, knowing that markets historically recover over time. Then we move into markup. The economy has stabilized, businesses grow, and more people are starting to invest again. Prices then rise and optimism returns. As demand increases, prices start rising. And those who invested during the downturn, they are now reaping the

rewards of buying in when others were too nervous to do so. Next, this is like the emotional investment rollercoaster I've spoke to you about before. Next comes euphoria, where investing feels like a sure thing. Stocks are booming. Everyone wants in. The media is talking about it. Your friends, your family, your neighbor's dog is telling you about an investment opportunity. This is when the market is at its peak, but it's also when you are taking the most risk and things are potentially overinflated. And then you know what happens? The cycle repeats itself. Right now we are in the downturn. But if history tells us anything, this is just another phase in the bigger picture. Here's the thing about market downturns that the wealthy like to keep to themselves.

They're actually a golden opportunity for long-term investors. Think of it like a Black Friday sale at your favorite shop. But instead of discounted clothes, you can find quality investments at a bargain price. And this is exactly why you might be seeing people on TikTok saying things like, Trump is tanking the economy on purpose so his wealthy mates can buy in at a discount while everybody else is panicking. The idea is that when the markets drop, experienced investors see an opportunity, they scoop up the stocks while prices are low, knowing that eventually the markets are going to recover and hit new highs. Meanwhile, everyday investors who panic can sell at the bottom, unfortunately, they're the ones who miss out on the rebound. Now, whether or

not Trump is deliberately trying to crash the market is up for debate. But what's not up for debate is market downturns. They create opportunities for those who stay calm and think about the big picture. And that's exactly why if you're investing for the long term, which if you're listening to this show right now, you probably are, then what happens in the market today, tomorrow, or even a year from now doesn't really matter that much. What matters is where the market is in 10, 20, or 30 years from now. And historically, it's always higher. So you need to maintain your investment strategy during market corrections. You don't want to freak out, sell low, and then buy back in when the prices are high again. That's literally how wealth then

gets transferred from the impatient people to the patient people. This is why I am obsessed with understanding market psychology. When everyone is panicking, that's usually the exact time you should be doing the opposite. As the saying goes, be fearful when others are greedy and then be greedy when others are fearful. So here is what I am personally doing right now. I'm not checking my investments obsessively. Be for real, this is just going to lead to me making emotional decisions and getting stressed and it's actually not positive at all. The second thing I'm doing is sticking to my regular investment plan. If you've set up automatic investments, just leave them alone, let them keep working. This is what we call dollar cost

averaging into the market. And it's actually low key, one of the most powerful wealth building tools ever, because if you are purchasing right now and your shares are at a discount, or they are less than what you are usually purchasing in for, not only are they lower in price and you're getting a money win, but it's actually bringing the average price of your portfolio down. So if we divided it up over time, every other purchase you've ever made is coming down as well on average. The third thing I'm doing is if I have some extra cash sitting around, I'm actually considering whether or not I have the capacity to put more into the market, not less. Because my friend, as we were saying before, things are on sale and I love a money win. The fourth thing

I'm doing is as always, I am investing for the long-term. If you are on the journey with me and you're investing for five or 10 or even 20 years, short-term dips don't actually matter. Over the long-term, markets trend upwards. And listen, I fully understand that this can feel overwhelming and consuming and really scary. Money is inherently emotional, but that's exactly why we need to have plans in place before the market drop happens because the worst financial decisions, they get made when we're in panic mode. So here's the takeaway for today. Do not let a market drop or some scary headlines someone who doesn't know anything about finance wrote let you off course. The people who build real wealth aren't the ones who are trying to time the market perfectly.

They're the ones who are staying consistent through all of the market conditions. I've said it before and I will say it again. If I could time the market, I would be insanely rich. Unfortunately, I can't. So the next best thing I do is dollar cost averaging. If you're feeling the urge to sell right now, take a step back, take a really deep breath and remind yourself why you started investing in the first place. Was it for short-term gains or was it to build long-term wealth? Because my friend, if it was for the latter, then days like today, they're just noise. Remember that every single market crash and every single correction in history has actually been followed by a recovery and then new highs. Literally every single one.

And I'm fully betting that this time is not going to be any different. If you want to feel even more confident about investing through market ups and then market downs, my friend, now is the perfect time to check out my investing masterclass. It's designed to help you build wealth without stressing over market dips. So you can invest with strategy, not emotion. I'm obviously going to link that for you in the show notes. But my friends, that is honestly it from me. That is the rant of the week. We've covered Trump. We've covered Elon. We have talked about market dips. What I really want from you is for you to keep your cool when everyone else is losing theirs and you're all going to be the one laughing all the way to the bank. I'll catch you next week

for another episode of She's on the Money, my friends. the advice shared on she's on the money is general in nature and does not consider your individual circumstances she's on the money exists purely for educational purposes and should not be relied upon to make an investment or financial decision if you do choose to buy a financial product read the pds tmd and obtain appropriate financial advice tailored towards your needs. Victoria Devine and She's On The Money are authorised representatives of Money Sherpa PTY LTD ABN 321 649 27708 AFSL 451 289.