Awful August: Making The Most Out Of A Bad Month
August has been one of the worst months in the history of Wall Street with stocks swinging wildly up and down by hundreds of points.
Since a Mid-July peak of about 12,700, the Dow's lost about 1300 points.
Small investors like to Tom Mara are worried about their investments and says " My blends not overly aggressive, it's a mix of stocks and safer bonds that hopefully will balance out my investments."
Some financial planners say now may be a perfect time for younger investors to consider jumping a little deeper into the stock market.
Charles Sachs of Evensky & Katz adds, Young couples for investing need to consider a 20-30 year investment plan and equities are a good idea. With all the violatility lately, young investors may be shying away from some of the bargain basement prices out there now..they're a liittle scared for some reason."
And even if you're nearing retirement, some financial planners still recommend an investment blend of cash, safer bonds, and stocks.
Matt McGrath, of Coral Gables based Evensky & Katz says "Retirement investments need to cover your needs for the long-term. Even after retirement, you'll need your money for possibly another 20-30 years. So you need to plan for the growth stocks traditionally give. If you focus on long term goals, you'll be in good shape".
Now's also a good time to double check your bottom line: How much do you owe, where's your money going at the end of the month, what's your investment mix between stocks, bonds and cash?
It's also not a bad idea to make out a spending plan for any end-of-the summer or Labor Day vacations as well as set up Pre-Holiday Budgets as we approach the Fall and the end of the year Holiday Shopping Season.
And despite the recent volatility on Wall Street and growing concerns about a softening U-S Recovery, we are hearing signs this years' "Back to School" shopping season may be much stronger than last year.
And that could go a long way to convincing retailers and manufacturers to boost hiring as we approach the Fall Business Cycle.
