For Employers Financial Professionals Search LOGIN Financial Wellness About Careers Contact FAQs Responding to COVID-19 and Market Volatility As COVID-19 (also known as the Coronavirus) impacts all of us, you may have heard the stock market referred to as “volatile.” This means it goes up and down in value, on a daily basis. When the market drops significantly, it is often worrisome to investors. But here are three things to keep in mind when it comes to saving for your retirement: 1. Keep a Long-Term Focus Changing the way you have your money invested may seem like a good idea, but it might actually have a negative effect on your long-term growth. Experts generally recommend you maintain a diversified investment strategy that’s built to help withstand the short-term ups and downs of the market. Making decisions based on emotions or recent performance may result in missing out on any upswings that can come as quickly as a decline. Attempting to time the market may result in missing the best days of the recovery and have a long-lasting impact on investor portfolios. IMPACT OF MISSING THE BEST RETURN DAYS Growth of $10,000 invested in the S&P 500 January 1, 1980 – December 31, 2019 2. Keep Contributing When markets decline many investors want to stop their contributions until they go up again. The best practice is to continue with a consistent contribution amount regardless of current conditions. This will take advantage of a concept known as “Dollar Cost Averaging,” helping you to benefit from purchasing additional shares while the market is low. 3. Check Your Investment Mix Many retirement plans offer specific investments that diversify automatically based either on your projected retirement date or risk tolerance. These investments are designed to provide a disciplined strategy that considers market volatility and time horizon. You should view recent investment performance in light of your overall investment objective, risk tolerance, and time horizon before making any changes to your account. Unless these or surrounding circumstances have changed, we recommend staying the course while continuing to periodically review your account to ensure it is appropriately invested. Financial Wellness About Careers Contact FAQs Login Corporate DisclosuresBusiness ContinuityPrivacy PolicyTerms of Use Copyright © 2015-2021 Newport Group, Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized access is prohibited. This site is designed for U.S. residents only. Newport Group, Inc. and its affiliates provide recordkeeping, plan administration, trust and custody, consulting, fiduciary consulting, insurance and brokerage services. Investment Advisory and fiduciary consulting services are offered through Newport Group Consulting, LLC, a registered investment adviser and wholly owned subsidiary of Newport Group, Inc. Securities are offered through Newport Group Securities, Inc., a dually registered investment advisor and broker dealer, member FINRA and affiliate of Newport Group, Inc. Securities in California are offered under the Newport Securities Insurance Services. See BrokerCheck for more information. Other insurance products may be offered by Newport Group, Inc. For more information about Newport Group Consulting and its services, please refer to our Form ADV Part 2A. Newport Trust Company, is a New Hampshire state chartered trust company and wholly owned subsidiary of Newport Group, Inc. Newport Trust Company provides independent fiduciary and trustee services for employee benefit plans.