Your Money Minute – “Buy The Dips In ‘26”

Podcast: Your Money Minute
Host: CNBC (Jessica Ettinger)
Guest: Doug Bonaparte (Bona Fide Wealth, CNBC Contributor)
Date: January 9, 2026

Episode Overview

In this brief, actionable episode, Jessica Ettinger explores investment strategies as 2026 shapes up to be a year of stock market volatility. Drawing on expert commentary from Doug Bonaparte, the episode explains how investors can take advantage of market downturns by "buying the dips," and why consistent investing—even without perfect timing—can be highly effective.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Market Volatility and Opportunity

• Wall Street Outlook for 2026:
  Jessica Ettinger sets the stage by noting the consensus among Wall Street analysts: 2026 will bring “lots of ups and downs” in the stock market.

  “With so many Wall Street experts saying that 2026 will be ripe with volatility for the stock market, lots of ups and downs. Investors who are paying attention may look to buy stocks when they're on sale—to buy the dips in ‘26.” – Jessica Ettinger, (00:04)

Buy the Dip: A Recurring Opportunity

• Historical Reminder:
  Doug Bonaparte highlights a major 20% S&P 500 decline from April 2025 as a key recent example of a “buy the dip” scenario.

  “How about this? Almost everybody forgot that back in April you had a 20% drawdown in the S&P 500. Right. That's the opportunity there to get in cheaply. Right. That's the buy the dip opportunity.” – Doug Bonaparte, (00:18)

• Systematic Approach:
  He suggests that investors should have a plan for reacting to significant drops, rather than panic or indecision:

  “Just having some kind of system in place. Hey, we're down 20%. What do we do here? Okay, this is a good time to take some of that cash and put it into the market. We're going to want to look out for more opportunities like that.” – Doug Bonaparte, (00:35)

The Power of Dollar Cost Averaging

• For Busy Investors:
  Jessica acknowledges that not everyone can watch the markets daily and endorses dollar cost averaging—a regular, scheduled investing plan:

  “Many investors are busy. They can't pay attention to every drop in stocks and prefer to dollar cost average into the regular purchases on a sort of regular schedule every two weeks or every month, catching both stock market lows and stock market highs.” – Jessica Ettinger, (00:51)

• Why Staying Invested Matters:
  Experts warn that the worst position is to be uninvested when the market rallies:

  “The worst position to be in is to not be invested at all when those stocks rise.” – Jessica Ettinger, (01:12)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Reflection on Market Memory:

  “Almost everybody forgot that back in April you had a 20% drawdown in the S&P 500.” – Doug Bonaparte, (00:18)

• Exhortation for a Game Plan:

  “Just having some kind of system in place... What do we do here? Okay, this is a good time to take some of that cash and put it into the market.” – Doug Bonaparte, (00:35)

• On the Value of Consistency:

  “Regular 401k contributions and [dollar cost averaging] serve investors well…” – Jessica Ettinger, (00:56)

Timestamps for Essential Segments

• 00:04 – Jessica Ettinger introduces 2026’s volatile outlook; introduces “buy the dips”
• 00:18 – Doug Bonaparte on 2025’s 20% S&P drop as precedent for buying on downturns
• 00:35 – Bonaparte: importance of a system for deploying cash in market dips
• 00:51 – Ettinger summarizes dollar cost averaging for everyday investors
• 01:12 – Key advice: “The worst position to be in is to not be invested at all…”
• 01:26 – [End of main content]

Episode Takeaways

• Prepare for volatility: Have a plan for potential market dips in 2026.
• Buy the dip: Significant downturns can be opportunities to invest at a discount.
• Automate your investing: Dollar cost averaging cushions market timing risks.
• Stay invested: Missing out on recoveries can hurt long-term gains.

For more information and related resources, visit CNBC.com.