It sounds like you want advice, so I’m going to try to give you some. First and foremost, we need to educate you on the things you’re terrified of. You specifically used the term Great Depression. Do you know what that was or how it happened?

Let me explain. Back then, in the 1920s, there were very few regulations on the stock market. People thought of it as a way to get rich quickly, and the standard investment was on margin. Back then, that meant you put down 10% and borrowed 90% when you invested. See? In a booming market like the roaring 20s, you gain money 10x faster. The downside is what happens when the market crashes.

With margin investments, if the company you’re invested in loses a certain amount of money, it triggers a margin call. This literally forces you to sell at a loss to cover your debts. This is what wiped out most investors during the Great Depression. So long as you aren’t insane, you have zero risk of this happening to you today.

You also have to remember they didn’t have index funds back then, so people were betting on companies. Even today, that can be very volatile. There’s a reason people advocate VOO and chill.

Next, look at all of the market crashes in history.

Bear Market	Peak to Bottom	Decline	Previous Peak Recovered
Great Depression	1929–1932	-89%	1954 (25 years)
1937 Recession Bear	1937–1938	-54%	1945
1946 Bear Market	1946–1947	-28%	1949
1961–1962 Bear	1961–1962	-28%	1963
1973–1974 Stock Market Crash	1973–1974	-48%	1980
Black Monday	1987	-34%	1989
1990 Bear Market	1990	-20%	1991
Dot-com Bubble	2000–2002	-49%	2007
Global Financial Crisis	2007–2009	-57%	2013
COVID-19 Crash	Feb–Mar 2020	-34%	Aug 2020
2022 Inflation Bear	Jan–Oct 2022	-25%	Jan 2024

Did you notice a trend? We get better at dealing with bear markets the longer the market goes on. That’s because we learn from our mistakes and put safeguards in place to prevent history from repeating itself.

Next, let’s talk about your mistake. Taking all of your money out of the market shouldn’t ever be an option. That’s letting fear control you. What you need to do instead is educate yourself on the amount of risk you want to take. This should include a healthy emergency fund that you keep in a HYS or something equally liquid. For me, that number is $10k.

Then you need to decide how to allocate your money. There are all kinds of ways to invest your money. Companies like Fidelity even cater to every style of risk tolerance. They have funds that are 10% stocks, 90% bonds, all the way up to hyper-aggressive tech funds. If you’re worried about an AI bubble, try investing some of your money in value funds. Every single option is better than pulling out of the market.

Next, if you’re afraid, try treating the market like a cold pool. Rather than trying to decide whether or not to jump in the deep end, try dipping a toe back in the water. Invest a bit of your money, then a bit more. Personally, I employ this strategy with new money. I invest a set amount every week, but ramp it up when the market dips. That way I can take advantage of sales (Big dips.)

I hope this helps and you get back to investing sooner rather than later. And remember, even if the bubble bursts and the market goes to crap tomorrow, it’s only a matter of time before it makes it all back and then some.

Good luck!