The S&P 500 got clobbered in 2018.  It was down more than 6%.

The last quarter of 2018 was particularly bad. The S&P500 dropped 13.97%.

The financial media and the securities industry saw a goldenopportunity.

All they had to do was convince investors to panic and “fleeto safety.”

It worked. 

In December alone, mutual funds invested in stocks and bondslost a record $152 billion in assets.

Think of all those juicy commissions.

Fast forward to January, 2019. 

As of January 18, 2019, the S&P 500 index was up awhopping 6.54%.

Investors overreacted to the December losses and missed outon the recovery in January.

No one knows how the market will perform for the balance ofthe year – or beyond.

But investors who stick to a disciplined plan, and don’treact to short-term volatility, are better positioned to achieve theirfinancial goals.

“Doing nothing” is often the best decision or investors.

But don’t expect the financial media to give you thatadvice.