Many of our past AFEA students have reached out to me after watching the stock market drop rapidly over the past few weeks. Our conversations have comprised a wide range of emotions. Many are shocked at how poorly their conservatively-positioned 401(k) and IRAs have held up to the recent downturn. Others are simply kicking themselves they didn’t protect themselves sooner. And others whom we’ve already been able to help have been very grateful that we showed them the power of indexing strategies and having a 0% floor that saved them from any losses.

I hope that your retirement accounts have weathered the storm in recent weeks. So far, the S&P 500 has given back the last year and a half of its gains and several geopolitical and economic concerns are responsible. Many financial strategists are airing caution as they see increasing risk of a recession heading into 2019. If those predictions prove to be correct, we’ll likely see more spikes in volatility and fierce pullbacks/corrections in the coming future.

If you’ve had a sinking feeling in your stomach lately looking at your retirement statements and tired of the worry, I encourage you to reach out to your current advisor or take the time to schedule a meeting with me to discuss. Here’s a link to my online calendar if you’d like to connect https://meetme.so/JasonHawkins. My door is always open.

In the meantime, I send you best wishes for a blessed holiday season and for your retirement path to remain bright and secure in 2019.