Not Adding To The Noise

I am impressed people are able to write and talk so much.  

I am unimpressed with the applicability of their “insight”.

The COVID-19 pandemic appears to be past its peak in many areas,  some investment markets have recovered significantly and the news has simply become less bad.

Yet over the last few weeks I’ve struggled with what to write as the pandemic has unfolded.  Various projections have proven to be wrong, both the pessimistic and the optimistic.  And everyone appears to be speculating as to what will happen next and/or how things should happen.

The medical news is starting to mirror stock market and economic pundits.  Since everyone is taking their best guess, I didn’t think it helpful to offer you yet another “guess”.  So I didn’t.  And I won’t.

And, as you likely have, I have recently read and watched the news more than I normally do.

What did I learn?

I am impressed people are able to write and talk so much.  

I am unimpressed with the applicability of their “insight”. 

So I won’t add to the noise but instead share a few actionable items that are important to you no matter where you stand on your path to retirement.

If you are in “accumulation” mode and a distance from retirement your (hopefully!) suitably aggressive portfolio has likely seen significant volatility.  Adding to your investments or even rearranging what you own might make sense when things are “on-sale” and that the post COVID-19 world will likely feel and actually be different than the past. Rearranging what you own is an oversimplification, of course, but while the markets have recovered significantly, much of that recovery has been driven by few stocks.  So opportunities remain if you can focus on the future.

If you are in accumulation but within 10 years of retirement… you may want to temporarily delay the transition of assets from your growth focused portfolio to an income & growth focused portfolio.   You should also read the next section below.

If you are retired or currently transitioning into retirement (next 2 years) your plan and income stream should already be designed to weather this downturn. If you don’t have a Retirement Income Plan, click here or on the image below to view  “The Retirement Income Process” post.

If you want to see how The Retirement Income Process can work for you, contact me directly at 860-661-3821, John.Bubello@Compass-Retirement.com or set a time in my calendar for a brief call here.