I’m holding the course on investing even as we go through a really traumatic time with the stock market. I just logged in to my Etrade account and saw that it is down 20% for the year. This is a ‘play’ account where I dabble in picking some different investments. It does not have a lot of money in it and it is certainly not what I am banking on for retirement.

I was taught that investments are for the long run so I’m holding the course with my investing because it does not make sense to panic and sell anything at this point. When you sell you actually lock in the losses. I don’t have any need for the cash so selling the winners would not make sense either.

I kept seeing people everywhere talk about their losses and seeing red each time they check their portfolios. My Etrade has a couple of red items but most are green so I just glance at it and close the site. I decided to check the actual performance today and saw this.

My portfolio here is down 20% compared to the S&P 500 which is down 15%. I did blink hard a few times looking at that but then remembered that I am in for the long haul. I have a long way to go before retirement so I am not going to panic.

Just remember to think about your investing plan and WHY you invest the way you do. Remember that everything is cyclical and always have a back up. My actual retirement funds are doing ok so I can take a deep breath.