Get Your Retirement Plan Back on Track

Investors engaged in a test of wills with the stock market during the sharp declines in March—a test that some failed. They panicked and sold their stock holdings, only to see the market bounce back. Fortunately, unless you’re close to retirement, you should have plenty of time to recover your losses. “Consider it a lesson learned, reallocate and move on,” says Steven Zakelj, a certified financial planner with Flatirons Wealth Management, in Boulder, Colo.

Take Emotion Out of the Equation

Don’t compound the damage by trying to figure out the optimal time to rebuild your stock portfolio. “A lot of times people say, ‘I’m going to wait until the dust settles,’ ” says Vinicius Hiratuka, a CFP with Elevated Retirement Financial Services, in Madison, Miss. “The stock market is a leading indicator. When the dust has settled, you’ve missed it.” In fact, the stock market indexes just finished one of the best quarters they