15 Mar 2019 Now is the Time

People often ask us what we do with our client portfolios during a market downturn.  (For the record, we invest our own money the exact same way.) Evidence shows that making investment decisions during periods of high market volatility is the wrong thing to do and usually leads to poor results.  So our short answer is “hopefully nothing.” 

But before you go off and do nothing, it’s important to note that that answer is predicated on the assumption that you’ve done the leg work ahead of time to ensure that your portfolio is invested properly. In other words, that it’s invested so it generates enough return to ensure that you can accomplish all of your important goals, but also so you won’t feel the need to make an emotional decision when the inevitable dips in the market arrive.

The stock market has recovered from its recent bout of volatility.  In fact, the S&P 500 is only 100 or so points away from its all-time high reached in September 2018.  Perhaps now would be a good time to reflect on how you felt over the last couple of months as you watched your portfolio fluctuate?  Did you feel anxious?  Lose any precious hours of sleep?  Did you even notice?  If you experienced anything like the former two then it’s likely that a portfolio review is in order.

This is important stuff.  Take some time to ensure that you are invested properly before the market misbehaves.  Perhaps you’d like someone to guide you through this process.  Let us know, we’d love to help.