Dave Ramsey Caller Asks If They Should Stop Contributing During Market Collapse — 'Ten Years From Now You Won't Even Remember This Crap'

After a volatile Monday on Wall Street, stock futures improved in after-hours trading, offering a break after a day of intense whiplash. The Dow, S&P 500, and Nasdaq-100 futures each rose more than 1%, recovering from previous chaos sparked by reinvigorated U.S.-China trade tensions. A morning rally, triggered by conjecture that new tariffs might be delayed, briefly pushed the S&P 500 up 7% from its low. But markets changed course after the Trump administration confirmed that the tariff hike on Chinese goods was still in place, leading China to threaten further retaliation.

As investors continue to scramble and headlines amplify the panic, personal finance expert Dave Ramsey's advice from a stock market crash a few months ago can provide some useful insight on how to handle the wild ride.

What Happened: During a call on The Ramsey Show, a listener asked Ramsey how to respond to the collapsing stock market. Ramsey quipped, "Cue the whining, screaming and gnashing of teeth that everyone's going to die and we're all going to retire and have to eat Alpo."

Ramsey stressed that dramatic headlines and market swings are not a new phenomenon—and not a reason to abandon healthy investing habits. While many people are tempted to pull money out or pause contributions during ambiguous times, Ramsey doubled down on a contrary approach: stay consistent, keep investing, and don't let emotions rule your decisions.

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Why It Matters: Ramsey's core philosophy centers on long-term discipline. He cast aside the idea of day trading or trying to time the market, saying, "I don't do anything… because I don't day trade." Instead, he says investors should stay steady no matter what the market is doing. "I just keep buying all the time… every month I just keep buying."

Ramsey's Advice For A Volatile Market

When stocks drop, he views it as a buying opportunity, not a crisis. "When it goes down I'm going to smile 'cause I just bought it on sale."

To avoid getting swept up in the hype, Ramsey intentionally protects himself from the noise. When asked if he follows the news, his answer was straightforward: "No, I don't watch the news." For him, the less emotional chatter, the better.

Automation is another crucial part of his strategy. "Set my 401k contributions… they happen automatically. I'm not thinking about it," he explained. And as for keeping an eye on his investments? "I look at mine once or twice a year… if I'm doing some kind of year-end final."

Ramsey also encouraged listeners to hold on to a long-term perspective. "Ten years from now, you won't even remember this crap. Ten years from now you won't even know who was president," he said.

In a market climate where fear can travel faster than facts, Dave Ramsey wants investors to stay steady. Geopolitical tensions, tariff threats, or sudden selloffs are all part of the emotional rollercoaster of the market, and, according to Ramsey, not a reason to abandon your plan.

"Short term the stock market going up or down is a bunch of drama queens… They run on emotion on a daily basis," he said.

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