Hey y’all,
I’m a 22-year-old female and recently jumped into investing for the first time. In early February, I put $40k into a money market account and $60k into a mix of stocks — mostly solid stuff like the Fidelity 500 Index, Procter & Gamble, Fifth Third Bank, and a few others.
Now it’s early April and… I’m already down about $8,000.
Cue the spiral. I knew the market could dip, but it still feels so unsettling watching a chunk of my hard-earned money just vanish. I keep checking my Fidelity app and trying to remind myself that I’m in this for the long haul, but the anxiety is real.
I don’t want to panic-sell, but part of me keeps wondering:
Did I mess up? Is this just a normal part of investing, or should I be rethinking my approach?
Any advice or reassurance from people who’ve been through this would seriously help. Thanks in advance.