Yesterday, USA Today published a piece describing how you should invest in a bad economy. Though the market is in shambles, the authors write, it’s no time to panic:
Enough. The stock market — and your savings — have gone down steadily, day after day, for more than a year. You’ve lost thousands this month alone. It’s time to do something. But…what? Should you shift more money into stocks? Put it all into a savings account? Pay off your mortgage? Hop a freight and become a hobo?
The authors talked to top financial advisers from around the nation. Here’s a summary of the experts’ advice. (For details, please read the entire article.)
- If you’re in your 20s, take comfort in the fact that time is on your side. You probably haven’t lost much, and you have decades to make up the difference. Now’s a good time to focus on paying off your high-interest debt.
- If you’re in your 30s, prioritize retirement savings. “Don’t let fear squander your opportunity,” says one expert. Protect yourself from unemployment by maintaining an adequate emergency fund. Be cautious about moving money out of the stock market, but be open to diversifying with new contributions.
- If you’re in your 40s, prioritize saving “even if it means cutting back on spending.” Don’t abandon the stock market. One financial planner tells USA Today that “nervous investors who stash all their savings in certificates of deposit and money market funds ‘are committing financial suicide’.” Still, stay diversified, and don’t take unnecessary risks.
- If you’re in your 50s, don’t do anything rash. Keep your investments balanced. Continue to save. In fact, the article suggests that you should look for “any way you have to boost your savings, no matter how small.”
- If you’re 60 or older, your position is tougher. You don’t have as much time to recover from the market downturn, but you’re not without options. Put off Social Security as long as possible. (This is a strategy advocated by Scott Burns when I interviewed him last summer.) Take a part-time job. Adjust your expectations.
It seems to me that the advice to every age group (except the last one) is essentially the same: Don’t panic. Diversify. Cut spending. Boost savings. Or, in other words, do the things that we’ve been talking about here at Get Rich Slowly for the past 2-1/2 years!
In a related note, Daniel Gross writes in the latest issue of Newsweek, “Don’t get depressed — it’s not 1929!” Also see this past post at GRS: Why it pays to ignore financial news.
译文:
经济危机下的生财之道
昨天，《今日美国》发表了一篇关于“在经济危机下如何投资”的文章。作者写到，虽然眼下市场混乱，但我们无需惊慌：
够了。已经一年多了，无论股市还是存款仍在日复一日的持续下跌。单单这个月，你就已损失数千。是时候该做些什么了。但是。。。做什么呢？把更多的钱投入股市？把钱都存起来？偿还贷款？跳上货车变成个流浪汉？
作者与全美各个顶尖金融顾问谈话。以下总结了这些专家的建议。(详情请点击阅读全文）
- 如果你20来岁，会欣慰于时间倒向你这边。你可能没有损失很多，而且你有几十年来弥补改变一切。现在是偿还高息债务的好时机。
- 如果你30来岁，请把退休存款放在首位。“不要因为害怕而丧失机遇。”一位专家说。储存足够的应急资金，免受失业带来的问题。 把钱拿出股市时需谨慎，但钱要分配多元化。
- 如果你40来岁，请优先考虑存款，即使这意味着你要减少开支。不要抛弃股市。一位财政策划师告诉《今日美国》，“ 紧张不安的投资者把积蓄都藏在存款单中饭，这只会使货币市场基金在金融自杀。” 仍旧把钱多元化分配，不要冒任何无谓的风险。
- 如果你50来岁，做事不要轻率。保持投资平衡。继续省钱。实际上，该文章建议你应该寻求任何方法来存钱，不管能存多少。
- 如果你60岁以上，你的处境会较为困难。虽然你没有太多时间从市场衰退中恢复元气，但并不是别无选择。 尽可能推延社会保险。（这是去年夏天我采访Scott Burns 时，他提倡的战略。）兼一份职，调整你的期望值。
对我来说，对每一年龄层的建议在本质上说是一样的：不要惊慌，多样化投资，减少开支，增加存款。或者，换句话说，做我们过去2年半中在Get Rich Slowly说过的事！
在相关文章中，Daniel Gross在Newsweek 最新一期中写道，“不要沮丧——现在不是1929年！” 关注GRS网站中另一篇文章: 为何值得忽视财政新闻 。