It’s rough out there but peeking at your balances  does little to alleviate angst over the market meltdown.  A recent Barron’s article reminded me that “it’s all paper losses anyway, unless you sell.  if you do that, you lock in your losses, and then you have to worry about getting back in. Typically, by the time Investors feel comfortable returning to the market, stocks will have  already appreciated and investors will have missed.out on the recovery.”
Many are looking to this week to provide a clearer picture as to the markets direction. 

I remember getting calls from potential clients asking me to help them after they moved all their money out of equities in response to a major market downturn  – particularly during the 2007-2009 recession caused by the mortgage crisis.
I would tell them that I wish they had called me before taking such a drastic step as I could have helped them modify their asset allocation rather than get out of the market entirely.
Everyone has a great risk tolerance when the market is hot.

None of us is smarter than the collective wisdom of all investors, as reflected in today’s share prices. So, why did investors dump stocks, causing the S&P 500 to plunge 10.5% over two days? The selling was likely driven by both a distaste for uncertainty and an expectation of slower economic growth, though we don’t know the precise combination of those two factors.
Investors hate uncertainty, and there’s a lot of that right now. Still, that uncertainty should fade in the weeks ahead.

When the market is down, I purposely avoid looking at my retirement account.  Over the past couple of weeks, my perception was that my balance was likely lower than it had been in years.
Today I logged in to take a look. Because I can view the history of my account, I was able to see that the value it sits at today is still higher (by a fair amount) than it was just a year ago.

On Tuesday, I underwent a partial knee replacement on my right knee. It was a necessary step after more than a year—perhaps longer—of persistent pain that disrupted my sleep and made daily walks nearly impossible.
But here’s the twist: while the surgery was meant to relieve my suffering, the post-operative pain is even more intense. Even with strong medication, it’s a new level of discomfort. And physical therapy? That promises its own form of agony for the next three months.

If I were 40 years younger, I might be rattled by the stock market selloff on Thursday, the day after the President’s tariff announcement. Back then, I was living in a studio apartment above a garage on an alley, trying to make ends meet while saving to buy a home. My investments were mostly in the U.S. stock market and cash.
Today, Rachel and I find ourselves in a different place. We’re a retired couple whose house is paid off,

I searched and searched the forum for a post about what HD readers are doing in response to the effect of the uncertainty of tariffs on the stock market but I found nothing.  It’s as if the markets did nothing today.  So, please tell me what you are doing regarding your investments in the face of this unprecedented economic assault on the world economy by someone who just discovered the quaint notion of “groceries”.

Many folks are unnerved by what’s happening in Washington, DC, and predictions of doom are widespread. Are you now in the forecasting game? Let’s find out how good you are. Six months from now—as of Wednesday, Oct. 1, 2025—what’s your best guess for these eight:

Trailing 12-month inflation? Current reading is 2.8%.
Unemployment? Today’s reading is 4.1%.
Whether we’re widely considered to be in a recession? Typically, a recession is defined as two consecutive quarters of negative economic growth,

OSCAR WILDE ONCE made this observation: “Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.” In other words, the only way to truly learn something is through experience.
When it comes to investing, this is easier said than done because learning through experience can be expensive. As Warren Buffett once quipped, “It is good to learn from your mistakes.

I know the markets go up and down. I know anyone living from investments knows that as well. I know many people say they plan for it with various strategies.
However, we seem to be living in an environment like never before. Chaos and uncertainty is the norm on a daily basis here and around the world. The stock markets are reflecting it all.
I’ve seen my investments drop and it concerns me even though they are not providing living income.

The S&P 500 Index peaked on this day after years of dot-com euphoria. Over the next two and a half years, it lost about half its value, and it took nearly five more years to recover. But the relief was what the Fed Chair might call “transitory” —just a couple of years later, the 2008 financial crisis hit, causing an even deeper crash.
Ignoring dividends, it took over a decade from the year 2000 for the S&P 500 Index to shake off the bears and take off.

As you ponder the years ahead, what’s at the top of your list of concerns? Here are 10 possibilities:

A stock market crash
Deteriorating health
Running out of money
Cuts to Social Security
Being alone
Family financial demands
Falling behind inflation
Long-term-care costs
What’ll happen after your death
Being compelled to move

Or does something else top your list of worries? Let’s hear what’s keeping you up night and what you’re doing to address your concerns.

Portfolio Back Test: https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/analysis
Calculators: Retirement, How long will my money last, Etc. https://www.saving.org
Compound calculator: https://www.investor.gov/financial-tools-calculators/calculators/compound-interest-calculator
Sector Performance: https://www.barchart.com/stocks/market-performance
https://novelinvestor.com/sector-performance/
Fund overlap: https://www.etfrc.com/index.php
Can you add to my list?

March 10 market sell-off was a good example of two kinds of investing risks: overall market and stock-specific risks.
When you invest in a single stock, you are not only subject to overall market risk, but also risks that are unique to that company.
When you invest in a broad-based index fund, you can minimize both risks by diversifying.
March 10, 2025 Stock Market sell-off:
Dow Jones  –
Dow Jones Industrial Average       -2.08%
S&P 500
Standard &

I own two individual stocks, both utilities. One I follow closely. 
Over the last year it reached $94.00 but today it is $77.00
Some analysts predicted $101, others in the 80s and 90s. At any point you could find upbeat predictions and more depressing ones.
Buy, hold, sell they said, all at the same time, all after looking at the same data. 
All the company reports and forecasts are positive. Earnings are good, it all looks good…but