U.S. Stocks tanked Monday following a global sell-off, sending investors into a tizzy with recession fears. But it’s not time to worry yet, say financial experts who point out that pullbacks are normal. And given how stocks were recently more expensive than ever, it’s not a terrible idea to buy at what some experts call a discount. Though it might seem counterintuitive, buying when prices drop is an option for those in “accumulation mode”—a term that describes those years from retirement—says Catherine Valega, a Massachusetts-based certified financial planner (CFP).
“Yes, yes, yes. Keep buying,” says Valega. “If you have cash on the sidelines it would be great to add more to an aggressive, diversified, stock portfolio.”
So you can buy a bit more if you like. That said, now is a good time to actually practice all of those investing maxims you’re likely familiar with. Buy and hold. Don’t try to time the market. Keep dollar-cost averaging.
That last bit means not changing up your strategy at all, no matter what the markets are doing. If you are consistently investing the same amount—say, through a biweekly paycheck deduction to your 401(k)—then there’s no need to change it up, says Andrew Herzog, a Texas-based CFP. Over time, dollar-cost averaging helps investors buy more investments at a lower price and fewer investments at a higher price.
“That’s how you keep the emotion out of it,” says Herzog. “This is a great strategy for the average investor who is investing for the long term.”
For those nervous about investing when there is so much volatility, Herzog points to recoveries following cataclysmic events like World War II to the Great Financial Crisis to the pandemic. And in the case of the latest crash—which saw the biggest drop since 1987—it’s worth noting that stocks are still up this year.
“Historically speaking, how did the S&P 500 perform after twenty of the largest spikes in market volatility, like what we’re seeing today? [It] averaged 17.5% over the following year,” he says, referencing this chart put together by Charlie Bilello, chief market strategist at wealth management firm Creative Planning. “Short term pain, long term gain.”
And if you do decide to buy with some extra cash now—don’t draw on your emergency fund, but from any surplus funds you might have. If you don’t have an emergency fund, focus on that first—remember that stocks could fall lower still. So it’s not a short-term play. Instead, only buy the dip if you plan to hold it long term.
The bottom line is that it’s impossible to say what will happen next. This could be as far as stocks slide, or it could be the start of a deeper correction. Having a consistent investing strategy through the highs and lows is most investors’ best play. Older investors closer to retirement can look into rebalancing, says Matt Chancey, a Florida-based CFP.
“Markets have always been and will always be cyclical in nature. The goal of buying low and selling high without a defined process of dollar-cost averaging or consistently rebalancing is a fool’s errand,” says Chancey. “Don’t gamble with your savings.”
And definitely don’t do what this Reddit user proposed: Selling now and buying back when you are certain stocks will be even lower. There is simply no way to know.