Today was an ugly day in the stock market. The S&P 500 declined by 2.44% and the Dow dropped 1.45%. Much of this decline was fueled by the huge decline in Facebook’s parent’s shares. Meta Platforms, Inc. (ticker FB) saw its share price decline by a stunning 26.39% in a single day on the heels of its Q4 earnings report. At the end of 2021, Meta shares comprised 1.96% of the Vanguard S&P 500 Index ETF (ticker VOO).
Today’s decline is on top of high levels of market volatility that we’ve seen so far in 2022.
My thoughts on how investors should react to this type of stock market decline haven’t changed since I first wrote this post a number of years ago.
Breathe
Cable news networks like CNBC provide extensive coverage and analysis on days with a steep stock market decline like we saw today. It’s easy to get caught up in all of this.. Don’t let yourself be sucked in and rattled.
Step back, take a deep breath and relax.
Take stock of where you are
Review your accounts and assess the extent of the damage that has been done. Investors who are well-diversified may be hurt but generally not to the extent of those who are highly allocated to stocks.
Review your asset allocation
With the tremendous year for stocks in in 2021, many investors are likely still in a good long-term position. If you haven’t done so recently, perhaps it is time to review your asset allocation and make some adjustments. Proper diversification is great way to reduce investment risk. This is a good time to rebalance your portfolio back to your target asset allocation if needed as well.
Go shopping
Market declines can create buying opportunities. If you have some individual stocks, ETFs or mutual funds on your “wish list” this is the time to start looking at them with an eye towards buying at some point. It is unrealistic to assume you will be able to buy at the very bottom so don’t worry about that.
Before making any investment be sure that it fits your strategy and your financial plan. Also make sure the investment is still a solid long-term holding and that it is not cheap for reasons other than general market conditions.
The Bottom Line
Steep and sudden stock market declines can be unnerving. Don’t panic and don’t let yourself get caught up in all of the media hype. Stick to your plan, review your holdings and make some adjustments if needed. Nobody knows where the markets are headed but those who make investment decisions driven by fear usually regret it.
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Roger,
Thanks for all your great advice in the past. It is appreciated! My wife and I are both 65 and retired. I have been thinking about selling all my mutual funds in a Roth IRA at one firm and moving it all to a Vanguard Roth IRA account for several reasons: much lower expense ratios, more index fund choices, and to have all my retirement investments in one place (80% of which have already been at Vanguard for a couple years now). I was ready to move forward with this, but as you noted, the market really took a dive this week. Should I be worried about timing or just move forward and sell low, buy low?
Mike thanks for the comment and glad that you have found some of what I’ve written to be helpful. I understand your apprehension, especially in a market environment like this one, but over the long haul I doubt there will be much impact. One option, and it may be better or not, is to transfer your holdings from the other custodian in-kind and then sell as appropriate once they reach Vanguard. I would call them to discuss this option including pros and cons if interested.
Good, sensible advice. Not only that – concise and straightforward. Harder to write like that than many realize. Nice work!
Thanks for your comment Myshkin.
Great advice. I try to focus on the fact stocks are “on sale” and it’s a great time to buy. As long as your asset allocation is appropriate for your risk tolerance, take advantage of the discount and periodically rebalance.
It worked well for us during the “lost decade” of the 2000’s.
John
Well said,
don’t panic, review position, don’t look too much in your loses,
wait till market bounce and: BUY, BUY, BUY
Endre thanks for the comment. Market declines are not a new thing, we’ve seen them in the past and we will see them in the future. Panic leads to poor decision making.
Very sage advice. I’ve chosen to take your tip #4 to heart and go on a nice buying spree. I suspect we will see lower prices for the next year or two, but I’m in it for the long term.
Thanks for your comment Derek, good luck.