Why I Sleep Soundly Even During an S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100 Market Crash

 Hello. When investing, everyone eventually faces moments when the market fluctuates wildly between red and blue. In particular, when the S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100 indices—the core of the global economy—plummet day after day and the news is flooded with terrifying headlines of a "market crash," it is natural for many investors to feel anxious.

Since I have buried my retirement assets in this index investment system, people around me often ask if I feel nervous when the market shakes so violently, and what my strategy is to handle it. Whenever they ask, I always give them a calm, simple response:

"There is absolutely nothing I can do about it. So, I just turn off the app and live my daily life."

Why I Don't Open the App: Silence That Defeats Impulse

When the market crashes, the very first thing I do is refrain from opening my brokerage app on my smartphone.

If you sit and stare at a blue chart plunging second by second, even the most rational person can become consumed by emotion. It makes it incredibly easy to commit impulsive mistakes, such as panic-selling at the absolute bottom or making reckless bets hoping for a quick rebound. A fluctuating chart does nothing but constantly provoke and shake human psychology.

Thinking realistically, just because I sit staring at a crashing chart as an individual investor doesn't mean the stock prices will magically go back up. In a market crash, the only thing I can truly control is not the direction of the market, but 'the agitation of my own mind.'

Leaving the vast movements of the market—which I cannot alter—to flow as they will, and redirecting my focus toward my controllable daily life: that is my personal secret to overcoming volatility.

Mechanical Accumulation on Payday: The Only Thing I Focus On

In place of the closed chart, I leave only a single milestone: 'Payday.'

For me, a market crash is not a daily source of fear. Instead, it is merely a bargain-sale period where I can purchase prime assets like the S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100 at a much cheaper price than usual once a month on my payday. Since I am a long-term, dollar-cost averaging investor accumulating shares until 2030, I know that today's decline will serve as solid fertilizer for greater compounded returns in the future.

Without riding the emotional roller coaster of daily stock prices, I mechanically inject a set amount into the indices when payday arrives. If the price goes up, it's great because my assets grow; if the price goes down, it's great because I can buy more shares. When such a simple and clear rule stands firm in your mind, you can sleep soundly no matter how violently the market rages.

Dollar-Cost Averaging,  Dividend Reinvestment

Turning Off Market Noise and Living the Present to the Fullest

The reason we entrusted our capital to great indices like the S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100 is to delegate the growth of our wealth to the geniuses of the market, so we can spend the precious time we bought back entirely on 'our own lives.'

Instead of spending time watching charts, I wake up at 6:00 AM to meditate quietly and walk around my neighborhood while plogging. I prepare a warm breakfast for my children, walk them to school holding their hands, and sit in the library to write with a cup of coffee. I learn how to cook and exercise with sweat to build muscles for tomorrow.

Completely closing my ears to the anxious noise of the market and living my daily life more passionately than anyone else—that is the ultimate peace that index investing has gifted me.

I can do it, because I wanted it. Simple is best, Less is more.

When both investing and daily life become simple, we finally become the masters of our lives. I cheer for you to firmly protect your precious daily routine even amidst a shaking market. I will see you in the next story. Thank you.