Why You Shouldn’t Sit Tight on the Market Rollercoaster

Even if you love rollercoasters, chances are the rip-roaring stock market isn’t your kind of thrill. Yet time and again, as the market suddenly plunges to gut-turning lows, retirees are advised to stay on the ride; wide-eyed, white knuckled, and praying there won’t be another dip as big as the last. Why?

Like so many other reluctant market rollercoaster riders, it’s probably what your financial advisor told you to do. “Ride it out,” they say. “Stay in the market.” “The money will come back.” Will it, though?

Meet Bob

Let’s talk about Bob. He retired in 1999 at age 65 with around $1,000,000 in his retirement accounts. His financial advisor told him to get into the market to ensure his accounts “work for him” over retirement. The next year, the Nasdaq dropped close to 40%. Bob’s advisor told him to hang tight because “the market always comes back.” The next year the market lost another 20%, and the year after that another 30%. By 2004, Bob’s $1,000,000 account was now worth a little less than $350,000.

Pass on the Thrills

If you haven’t guessed by now, we don’t agree with the legions of thrill-seeking financial advisors. Remember, if you’re paying a percentage of your assets under management (AUM) to your financial advisor as a compensatory fee, their income is dependent upon you remaining in the market. If you take your money out of the market, they take a pay cut.

But there’s another important reason why you shouldn’t be sitting tight on the market rollercoaster. If you’re near or in retirement, that’s not where all your money should be. You can’t time the market. And you no longer have the luxury of time to ride out a dip and recoup what you’ve lost.

There’s a better way to secure your future. And it doesn’t involve stuffing your savings under your mattress.

We Don’t Ride Rollercoasters

At Golden Reserve, we focus on retirement-optimized investments that allow our clients’ money to grow safely. We analyze every clients’ portfolio to identify existing investments that pose a threat to their retirement– due to high risk, high fees, or both– and swap these for low to no-fee options with minimal or no risk. Because when you’ve reached retirement, you’ve already won. You don’t need to double down on a risky bet. Chasing an additional 5% in earnings won’t change your retirement but losing 40% will.