For CAF members and their families, the key is not to panic, but to plan. And the best way to protect your future isn’t to react in fear—it’s to follow a strategy that is built for times like these.
Talk to Your Advisor
In times of crisis, emotion often overrides logic. But your investments should be based on strategy, not stress. Just like you wouldn’t head into a mission without a game plan, you shouldn’t navigate financial uncertainty alone.
A SISIP advisor can help you:
- Separate noise from reality in the markets
- Keep your long-term goals on track, no matter what’s happening
- Avoid costly mistakes made out of emotion or misinformation
- Find opportunities—even in downturns
In times of economic uncertainty, sticking to financial fundamentals is more important than ever. By talking things over with a SISIP advisor, you can be sure that you’re making moves that serve your future—not just reacting to the headlines.
Stick to Your Plan
When markets swing wildly, it may feel like everything has changed. But a good financial plan isn’t designed just for the easy times—it’s built to handle the volatile ones too.
A well-structured plan accounts for:
- Market swings and economic uncertainty
- Your future goals, not just today’s news cycle
- Strategies to grow your money over the long term
If you don’t already have a financial roadmap, now is the time to sit down with a SISIP advisor and draw one up. And if you do have a roadmap, now is not the time to abandon it—it’s the time to trust it.
Stay Invested
When the world feels chaotic, it’s natural to want to “do something”—but history tells us that reacting emotionally to market turmoil can lead to the biggest financial mistakes.
During previous crises—such as recessions or the pandemic—investors who sold their holdings locked in losses and missed out on the inevitable market recovery. It was a costly mistake.
What should you do instead? Stay invested, stay diversified, and trust the process. The economy may be facing turbulence, but rash decisions could create long-term financial damage that outlasts today’s headlines.
Have Faith in History
This isn’t the first time the world has seen uncertainty, and it won’t be the last. In the past, markets have faced just about every issue that we’re facing today—and they have always rebounded.
Here’s a look at the 10 of the largest market downturns in history, and the rate of return one and two years after the market low.
Event | Loss | Date of market low | Return 1 year later | Return 2 years later |
2009 Financial Crisis | -56.8% | Mar 2009 | 68.6% | 95.1% |
2000 Dot-com Bubble | -49.1% | Oct 2000 | 33.7% | 44.5% |
1973 to 74 Market Break | -45.9% | Dec 1974 | 33.5% | 59.3% |
1969 to 70 Market Break | -36.1% | May 1970 | 43.7% | 59.7% |
2020 COVID Pandemic | -33.9% | Mar 2020 | 74.8% | 99.2% |
1987 Stock Market Crash | -33.2% | Oct 1987 | 23.2% | 54.4% |
1962 Cuban Missile Crisis | -26.4% | Oct 1962 | 36.5% | 59.2% |
2022 Stock Market Crash | -25.5% | Oct 2022 | 21.6% | 62.6% |
1990 Desert Storm | -19.9% | Oct 1990 | 29.1% | 36.3% |
2018 Recession Scare | -19.8% | Dec 2018 | 37.1% | 57.5% |
Even when the future looked bleak, those who stayed the course emerged stronger. Your best move isn’t to predict the future—it’s to trust that markets recover, economies adapt, and disciplined investors have always come out ahead.
Avoid Market Timing
Everyone loves a good sale. In theory, it would be great to buy at the market bottom and sell at the peak. In practice, not even Wall Street firms with teams of PhDs and data scientists can consistently do it. This is where dollar-cost averaging (DCA) comes in—it’s a strategy that thrives in uncertainty.
Here’s how it works: Instead of investing a lump sum at once, you invest a fixed amount at regular intervals, such as monthly. By doing so, you buy more when prices are low and less when they’re high. This way, even if one investment is poorly timed, it won’t matter—all your purchases will balance out over time.
When markets are bumpy, don’t stop investing and don’t try to time things perfectly—just keep investing consistently and accumulating more assets that will grow in the long run.
Four Things You Can Do Right Now
We all want to protect our families from threats—including economic ones. Here are four proactive steps you can take to navigate today’s uncertainty:
- Create or update your financial roadmap
Focus on your long-term strategy and refuse to let fear dictate your future. - Work with a SISIP advisor
It pays to work with somebody who can crunch the numbers and provide an expert perspective on what’s happening. - Keep investing regularly
Don’t stop investing or sell what you have out of fear. Use dollar-cost averaging to keep building your financial power while reducing risk. - Trust the market
When in doubt, remember that the stock market has produced wealth throughout every crisis in history. As long as people are buying and selling goods and services, the market will eventually prevail.
Uncertainty is real, but so is resilience. The best investors aren’t the ones who react fastest—they’re the ones who trust the process and stay the course.
If you have questions or concerns, reach out to a SISIP advisor in confidence—because making smart financial moves today sets you up for a stronger tomorrow.
