But for everyday investors, these short-term fluctuations shouldn't make a difference to your investment strategy. If your goals are the same as they were last week, your portfolio should remain the same. Here's my advice to anyone who's panicking about their investments.
1. Take a breath
It's never wise to make decisions financial or otherwise on impulse. I had a client who sold all his investments in March 2009, literally the day the market hit bottom. Talk about the worst day to sell. Don't let that be you!
Very little is known about the coronavirus at this point. We don't know how extensively it will spread, or what potential toll it will take on human life. And that's really the whole point.
The selloff is impulsive because it's a reaction to the unknown. This is not to minimize the potential havoc the coronavirus may cause, but such scares are hardly a rarity in human history. We always bounce back.
Now is a good time to step back and review the facts of your investment strategy, apart from the current hysteria. It's not easy, but it is completely necessary.
2. Remember why you started
Have any of those goals changed because of the recent coronavirus-motivated market dip? Probably not. No matter what happens with the current market action, you still need to proactively plan for your financial future. Your current actions need to be consistent with whatever your long-term goals are.
Like every other crisis that's confronted the human race and the financial markets, the coronavirus and the market reaction it's creating will one day be consigned to the history books. That may well happen a lot sooner than most of us can appreciate right now.
In the meantime, it's important to review your original investment goals and strategies. Unless there's something you're doing right now that's inconsistent with those plans, there should be no need to take radical action.
If you're having difficulty processing unfolding events on your own, bring professional help into the picture. Just as a patient would meet with their doctor before surgery, it could be a good idea to meet with your financial planner and have an honest conversation about where you are on the path toward your financial goals.
3. Take measurable action
One of the best ways to regain a sense of control is to take action. You don't have to do anything radical, either. Sometimes, just taking small steps to shore up your existing investment strategy is all you need to do to regain balance when circumstances seem to be spinning out of control.
If your basic investment portfolio allocations made sense for you before the selloff, that probably hasn't changed, so keep them intact. Talk to your financial planner if you think your investment strategy needs some tweaking, but otherwise leave things alone.
4. Exhale
Investing and managing your financial future requires a lot of patience and diligent work, but it should also be enjoyable. After you've done an extensive review, it's time to let out your breath and enjoy the things in life that matter to you.
As unsettling as all this seems, it's perfectly normal for the stock market to rise and fall and that's something we all need to be prepared for, both emotionally and financially.
Plan to maintain your current long-term investment strategy . Make some small changes in your portfolio that will help you gain a sense of control, if you must. Other than that, there's nothing you need to be doing now that you weren't doing a couple of weeks ago.
SmartAsset's free tool can help you find a financial planner to review your own investing plan