What Should You Do When the Stock Market Drops? 5 Experts Offer Advice

This story is part of So Money (subscribe here), an online community dedicated to financial empowerment and advice, led by CNET Editor at Large and So Money podcast host Farnoosh Torabi. What’s happening

After making steady gains since the pandemic began in 2020, major stock market indices are trending downward. Why it matters

Some investors experiencing a “bear market” — or prolonged period of price declines — may be persuaded to panic sell. What’s next

Seasoned financial experts, experienced in navigating up-and-down market cycles, offer caution and advice.

A perfect storm is rocking the stock market. Since April, the major US stock indices, including the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq, have been losing ground due to a steady torrent of bad economic news: sagging corporate earnings, surging inflation , rising interest rates and mounting worries about a possible recession .

Whether you have money in a retirement plan or own stocks directly, it’s troubling to see news headlines and charts indicating a financial downturn. No doubt it’s particularly worrisome for the newer generation of investors who started investing during the last 10 years and are experiencing their first down market (or bear market).

When it feels like the economy is collapsing from under you, it can be helpful to talk to people who have been through it before. I spoke to five experts to get their best advice and weigh in on the current market sell-off. Here’s what they said. Stay the course. This too shall pass

Daniel Crosby

Daniel Crosby is chief behavioral officer at Orion Advisor Solutions and author of the book The Laws of Wealth. Part of what defines a great investor, he told me, is having the mental toughness to see it through the best and worst of times. His biggest reminder to help us navigate volatility is that ” this too shall pass .”

“What I love about this phrase is that it keeps us from both fear and greed,” Crosby said via email. “In a bear market, when we look around and see nothing but negativity, we can be assured that this will pass and that brighter days are ahead. In a bull market, when we may be tempted to overextend ourselves financially or get greedy, we can likewise be assured that leaner times are ahead and that we ought to stick with the fundamentals.” Don’t try to time the market. There are no deadlines in investing

Adam Seessel

Adam Seessel, author of the new book Where the Money Is , has served as both a journalist covering the stock market and a professional investor on Wall Street. Having worked through multiple market cycles, he cautions against waiting for the “best time” to invest. Success is less about timing the market and more about your time in the market.

” There are on deadlines in investing,” Seessel writes in his book. “Urgency … induces poor decisions. Good investors show up at their desks every morning with the goal of slowly advancing their understanding.”

When Seessel joined me on my podcast , he added that if you feel bullish about the long-term future of US capital markets, then that should be enough to convince you to buy and hold. “You have to ask yourself, do you believe American business is going to be more prosperous or not,” he said. “If you think yes, then you need to own a piece of that action.” Market keeping you up? Revisit your risk tolerance

Linda Davis Taylor

If you’re experiencing extreme anxiety due to market volatility, it could mean that you have a smaller appetite for risk than previously assumed. Linda Davis Taylor, seasoned investment professional and author of The Business of Family , advocates speaking to an investing expert who can help rationally guide your next move. This is especially important if you’re approaching retirement — or in the early stages of retirement — and your portfolio’s taken a severe beating in recent months. It may be worth reviewing your level of exposure to stocks with the help of a financial professional.

“Human behavior and psychology play a big role in investing, and it is very difficult for most of us to act rationally about something as personal as money, especially in times of stress,” Davis Taylor told me via email. “Someone who understands our situation but also brings an objective view to the decision-making can be extremely helpful in keeping us on track.” Overconfidence is overrated

Amanda Holden

Investors who believe they have the power […]

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