re: #11 Sufficient unto the day…

So, for those of us with basic 401ks and HSAs, where should we put the money, and for how long?

Hallowed are the Ori. /

Seriously though, if you’re close to retirement, you should have already shifted assets into more stable securities and become less risky in your portfolio. If you’ve got a lot of time before retirement, make sure that you’re investing periodically via dollar cost averaging so that you can benefit from the dips and balance out the peaks… If you’re in a 401(k) and contributing 5% (and maxing out your corporate match), continue to do so. If you think that’s risky, drop the percentage a bit, but make sure to max out the corporate match no matter what.

People should periodically check their portfolio and make sure that they’re not overweighted in one particular security or fund - making them susceptible to big gains/losses and change the weighting of their portfolio.

Another thing you could do if you’re concerned about a downturn is to park more of your assets in bond funds and cash funds, but also know that it means you don’t see the gains you might otherwise have if you’re buying into a weak market. Only you can judge your risk aversion.