Investment Considerations in a Bear Market

The stock market has now experienced four consecutive negative quarters, and most markets are down somewhere around 20% on the year. If you've looked at any of your investment statements recently, it probably isn't pretty. But, even though things look bad, it isn't out of the ordinary, and there are some things you can do to help make sure you're making the most of this volatile market. You may be tempted to bail out of the market completely, but doing so could hamper your long term goals. So, before making a rash decision, you should consider these measures first:

• Examine Your Investment Objective
• Consider Your Risk Tolerance
• Don’t Chase the Market
• Rebalance Your Portfolio
• Shore Up Your Short-Term Investments

This week has been a classic example of the uncertainty that's filling the markets right now. On Monday, we see record market declines, and the following day, we also see record gains. Nobody has a crystal ball that can tell us exactly what's going to happen in the coming weeks and months, but you can make sure that you're positioned so that you can minimize your risk and weather any financial storm.