#MarketTurbulence Tips for Staying in the Market

Don't panic. Some people might be tempted to sell their stock investments if the markets go through a particularly tough time. Selling just because the stock market is crashing could be the worst decision.

Stay invested. The chart below shows that withdrawing money from the market, even for a few weeks, could cost you a lot in potential investment gains. If missing the 10 best days seems implausible, consider that in the last 20 years, seven of those best days occurred just two weeks after the 10 worst days.

If the stock market recorded gains and losses every two years, imagine how much you would lose by selling after a downturn. Where would you invest your money? A money market account might yield a steady return of 1.3%, but that wouldn't even reach the long-term average inflation rate of 2.15%.