Time to (Re)Build Your Portfolio

The last 10 months in the market have been terrible. The Dow is down more than 30 percent, the S&P is down around 35 percent. One day we may look back on this year as the single greatest financial crisis ever, depending on how the next few months unfold.

The individual investor has taken it square on the chin. Over $2 trillion has evaporated from retirement accounts in the last 15 months. Given the massive amount of lemons around, how can you make lemonade?

You can start by either building or rebuilding your portfolio.

If you are just starting out in the market, value picks are plentiful. Now is the perfect time to pick up shares of industry leaders at deeply discounted prices. Sure, there may be some downside left, but no one can perfectly time any market.

And if you are one of the many who have seen their investments beaten up, now may be the time to buy into some industry leading companies that were too pricey for you in the past. Remember when Google was at $700 share? You can now buy it at half that.

If the price is right and you feel strongly about a company, you might as well buy it now. The market will rebound, valuations will return, and you will be wishing for the opportunity to go back and buy at today’s prices.

[Ed. Note: Keep your money safe during these shaky times by making smart investment choices. Companies with strong fundamentals are best equipped to withstand major market changes. But don’t be afraid of fluctuations in the market.]