Podcast Summary: Is Now a Bad Time to Invest Because the Market Is So High?

Podcast: Ramsey Everyday Millionaires
Date: January 2, 2026
Hosts: Dave Ramsey, Chris Hogan
Listener Question by: Sue (Voicemail)

Overview:

This episode tackles the common concern about investing in the stock market when it appears to be at an all-time high. Sue, a 65-year-old listener with $100,000 in retirement savings, asks if it's too risky to invest now given current market levels. Dave Ramsey and Chris Hogan provide clear, practical advice, grounding their answers in historical stock market performance, psychology of investing, and actionable next steps for anxious investors.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Listener Question – Is the Market Too High to Invest?

• Sue’s Situation: 65 years old, $100,000 savings, no debt, nervous about investing while stocks are high.
• Core Question: “Am I just going to lose money? I’m a little bit paralyzed with regard to what to do with this money. It is all I have.” (Sue, 00:41)

2. Historical Trends and Market Logic

• Stock Market Always Recovers:
  • Dave explains that, historically, the market returns to and surpasses previous highs, despite dips.
    • “What you're saying is if you really believe that [the market will not go higher], what you're saying is, is that the stock market is never going to go up past where it is. And there's absolutely no data to indicate that.” (Dave Ramsey, 01:31)
    • “The only way that your fear comes true is if it goes down and stays down, which is the first time it would have ever happened in history.” (Dave Ramsey, 01:59)
• Real Life Examples:
  • Names like Home Depot, Apple, McDonald's, and Coca-Cola represent the kind of companies that have historically grown in value.
    • “Are you really saying McDonald's and Apple won’t make more money in the next few years? That’s very unlikely.” (Paraphrased, 02:13–02:30)

3. Should Timing the Market Worry You?

• Dave's Perspective:
  • “If I had $100,000 extra to put into something right now, I would not hesitate to put it all in the stock market. In good growth stock mutual funds that have long track records. Today I’d do it by nightfall and I wouldn’t even blink.” (Dave Ramsey, 02:36)
  • Caveat: Each person must understand their own fears and make informed decisions.
    • “The way those fears go away is with a little bit of basic history and knowledge of the stock market… that’s why you need to meet with a good advisor.” (Dave Ramsey, 02:52)

4. Mathematical Reality of Market Growth

• Chris Hogan’s Numbers:
  • They cite recent S&P 500 movements:
    • “If you just pull up Google S&P510 year, you'll see it go up and to the right and you'll see some scary dips. But if you go back to, you know, 2022, you'll see an all time high of $4,700. Well, right now it's trading at over $6,800.” (Chris Hogan, 03:27–03:51)
  • “What you'll see is there's an all time high every few years… you're actually buying it on sale today because if you look at 2029, it's probably going to be trading higher than it is in 2025.” (Chris Hogan, 03:53)

5. Explaining Indexes and Investing Basics

• Stock Market Indexes:
  • Dave explains the S&P 500’s significance as a true barometer of the stock market.
    • “The S&P 500 is an index. That is the top 500 stocks on the stock market. And that basically is the New York Stock Exchange… the baseline of what we call the stock Market.” (Dave Ramsey, 04:12–04:27)
• Stocks and Mutual Funds:
  • Dave: Ownership in profit-making companies generally leads to long-term gains.
    • “A stock is a share of ownership. So if you're one of the owners of a company that's making a profit, your ownership share goes up in value.” (Dave Ramsey, 05:04)
  • “When you're buying a mutual fund, it's got 90 to 200, Home Depot, Dell and Apples in it. Exxon. Is Exxon making a profit? You should think, and better believe it.” (Dave Ramsey, 05:20)
• Historical Returns:
  • “For 70–80 years, the S&P 500 has averaged about 11.8% rate of return per year… which also means some years it was less, some years it was more.” (Dave Ramsey, 06:15)

6. Psychology of Investing vs. Real Estate

• Comparison to Real Estate:
  • People feel safer investing in physical real estate than in “intangible” stocks, despite both relying on historical data for value growth.
    • “People don’t even think a heartbeat. They don’t sit and go, I don’t know, if I bought a $400,000 home, would it go up in value? People don’t think that.” (Dave Ramsey, 07:10)
  • “Because we walk around in the midst of the brick and mortar… you have this historical data just kind of stored in your head.” (Dave Ramsey, 07:34)
• Why Stocks Feel Riskier:
  • “The stock market is just charts, graphs. It’s green and red on the news. That’s all I know… it doesn’t feel as real and I don’t feel as connected to the stock market like I do my own home.” (Chris Hogan, 08:37–08:55)
  • Dave concludes the emotional difference is due to tangibility, not reality.

7. Actionable Advice for Sue and Similar Investors

• Meet with a trusted SmartVestor Pro (advisor) to learn and ease fears through knowledge.
• Don’t act solely on podcast advice—education and understanding are essential.
  • “You don't do it because a couple of dudes on a podcast said do it. You sit down and you use your brain to understand something you never understood before.” (Dave Ramsey, 06:33)
• Historically, staying invested and not trying to “time” the market leads to wealth-building.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Dave Ramsey:

  • “The only way that your fear comes true is if it goes down and stays down, which is the first time it would have ever happened in history.” (01:59)
  • “I would not hesitate to put it all in the stock market. In good growth stock mutual funds that have long track records. Today I’d do it by nightfall and I wouldn’t even blink.” (02:36)
  • “You sit down and you use your brain to understand something you never understood before.” (06:33)

• Chris Hogan:

  • “If you look at 2029, it’s probably going to be trading higher than it is in 2025.” (03:53)
  • “The stock market is just charts, graphs. It’s green and red on the news. That’s all I know… it doesn't feel as real and I don't feel as connected to the stock market like I do my own home.” (08:37–08:55)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:41: Sue’s question: “Is it a bad time to jump in?”
• 01:12–02:52: Dave’s overarching answer: Historical perspective and addressing investing fears.
• 03:24–04:12: Chris’s input: S&P500 performance, real numbers, why market highs are normal.
• 04:12–06:33: Dave: Explaining indexes, mutual funds, and average returns.
• 07:10–08:55: Real estate vs. stocks: Why one feels safer and how that affects decisions.

Summary Takeaway

Investing when the market is high isn’t a bad idea—history shows the market has always eventually hit new highs. The most effective way to build wealth is staying invested over time, not trying to time the market. Understanding basic stock market history, connecting with a trusted advisor, and overcoming emotional or psychological barriers with education are essential next steps—especially for retirement savers like Sue.