What To Discuss With Your Financial Advisor During A Volatile Market

With the Coronavirus (COVID-19) inundating the media, fear among the pubic has risen. Most people are focused on stocking up on essential groceries and toiletries, but it's also important to keep in mind your retirement and investments as the market continues to shift drastically. So what should you be doing during this time? We recommend scheduling a call with your financial advisor to discuss the following topics.

Hopefully when you set up your portfolio you had an in depth conversation regarding risk tolerance with your advisor. Given the volatility of the past month, now would be a great time to revisit this conversation and discuss your risk tolerance. You should not expect your advisor to perform miracles in an environment such as this, however they may be able to provide a few helpful tips and chow to insulate your portfolio in the coming months. 

With social distancing, voluntary quarantine, or mandatory quarantine, you may be uneasy as to how you will sustain your daily income. Take a look at your portfolio with your advisor and see how it's set up. Is your portfolio designed to weather a down market? Does it have the proper mix of assets to provide sustainable income? Is there a tax efficiency that can be taken advantage of as the portfolio loses value? These are all questions your advisor should be able to answer in a volatile market.

Watching the market drop and the money you may be losing in your account is unsettling, to say the least. But you have to look at the big picture of your investment timeline. Are you investing for the next thirty years? Or five years? If you're in for the long-hall this downturn will hopefully just be a blip on the radar. If you're investing short-term or looking to retire soon, you'll have to discuss with your advisor on what actions need to be taken to keep your retirement on track. Whether it is shifting an allocation or a mindset it is important to talk through your portfolio with an advisor.

This may be the time that you'll need to dip into your emergency fund. Keep in mind, if you do, do replenish once the time and funds allow.