Owning a Rental Property
The COVID-19 pandemic has created financial stresses for millions of Americans. In April 2020, a Harris Poll survey on behalf of Nationwide asked more than 2,000 adults in the U.S. about their COVID-related concerns. Overall, respondents’ top worries were being unable to pay their bills (45%), losing their life savings (33%), and losing employment (30%). Even those who enjoy more financial security are facing uncertainty. Among respondents with investable assets of more than $100,000, the top concerns were losing their life savings (41%) and inability to pay the bills (34%), afford healthcare (28%), or retire as planned (28%).
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended a lot of people’s financial plans. Losses in business revenue, stock value, and employment create a variety of bumps in the road to retirement. The steps you should take to protect your future depend on the assets you have available, how close you are to your target retirement age, and the current condition of your investment portfolio. Take a look at these seven ways you can take action to stay on track with your retirement plan.
When the stock market becomes turbulent, investors want to do something to protect themselves. The impulse to react is a natural human response when you perceive a threat, whether that threat is a charging grizzly bear or a crashing bear market. The key is to keep a cool head and make rational decisions about how to respond. In either situation, running in panic can increase your danger.
When you invest, it’s important to have a vision of your long-term goals, develop a strategy to meet those goals, and stick to it. For many of us, that becomes especially challenging during times of economic downturn. It can be gut-wrenching to watch the value of your holdings take a dive, but panicking and selling could leave you in a much worse position than riding out the storm.
The COVID-19 pandemic has wrought havoc on the economy, and many people’s 401(k)s are suffering as a result. What can you do to minimize the damage and give yourself the best possible chance of saving enough for your retirement? The answer partially depends on your age and whether you’re facing job loss during the current crisis.