In this episode of Keep the Change, Coco Dee records with her long-time friend Kate Moloney to unpack how market hype drives FOMO and emotional decision-making, particularly for people new to investing. They respond to a viral influencer rant about Bitcoin, noting its 42% drop in six months, and use it as a case study in human behaviour, emotional attachment to assets, validation seeking, and shaming others into buying.

Kate shares her approach as a systematic share trader, using coded rules, backtesting, stress testing, and clear exit strategies without attachment, and contrasts this with all-in investing that creates nervous system volatility and poor decisions. Together they emphasise capital preservation, having an exit plan, diversification (even within the same asset class), keeping a cash buffer, and running worst-case scenarios.

Coco shares a real business example from opening a childcare where delays doubled the cash required, reinforcing why buffers matter and why you should never invest money you can’t afford to have tied up.

The episode wraps with a reminder to ignore online noise, avoid pedestal thinking, invest in line with your own risk profile, and let long-term strategy and compounding do the heavy lifting.

00:00 Welcome to Keep the Change + Meet Kate Moloney"

01:23 Why We’re Here: Debunking Hype, FOMO & “Not Financial Advice”

03:43 The Bitcoin Influencer Rant: What It Reveals About Investor Psychology

05:46 Systematic Trading 101: Rules, Backtesting & Zero Emotion

09:11 Capital Preservation & Drawdowns: Why Losses Hurt More Than You Think

13:59 Stress-Testing Any Investment (Property, Business, Anything)

17:22 Buffers & Diversification: Don’t Put All Your Eggs in One Basket

20:57 Get-Rich-Quick Myths vs Compound Interest (and Keeping Cash Aside)

22:55 Know Yourself: Risk Profile, Nervous System & Ignoring Online Noise

24:42 Lessons From Our Own Mistakes + Final Takeaways & Wrap-Up

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Ep 87 - The Truth About Investing: A Balanced Perspective with Kate Moloney