Bear Market, Bears Fan: A Planner's Playbook for When Stocks Tumble

Nobody can tell you when the next bear market is coming, and anyone who says otherwise is guessing. What you can do is decide ahead of time how you will respond. In this solo episode, Tom Kaminski, CFP®, lifelong Chicago Bears fan, walks through the framework he uses with clients when the stock market falls 20% or more. It starts somewhere unexpected: your job. From there he covers the emergency fund stress test, how the approach changes for young savers, mid-career investors, and people near or in retirement (including the six-to-eight-year cash and bond buffer), and five tactics to consider in a downturn: rebalancing, tax gain and loss harvesting, Roth conversions, buying, and the most underrated move of all, doing nothing. Plus, fair warning: we love our disclaimers on this podcast. Links and resources Ben Carlson, "How Often Do Bear Markets Occur?": https://awealthofcommonsense.com/2024/02/how-often-do-bear-markets-occur/ Our Concentrated Stock episode (Ep 11), for more on company stock Full Twin Robins Capital disclosures: https://www.twinrobins.com/disclosures This episode is for informational purposes only and is not tax, legal, or investment advice. Please consult qualified professionals before making any financial decisions.