Worried investors should avoid making big moves because of coronavirus fears

Worried investors should avoid making big moves because of coronavirus fears  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE WED, FEB 05, 2020 YOUR WEALTH Editor's Note Unless you have been vacationing in a cave with no cell service, you are well aware of how stocks have been hit by fears of the coronavirus. The fact is that any type of market volatility will always create anxiety for investors and leave them with that gut-wrenching, sinking feeling. It's not easy to just sit still when the market is sliding. You think to yourself: "Shouldn't I actually be doing something?" While there will always be short-term blips in the market, the best practice is to stay calm. The key is to think critically to make disciplined decisions in the long-term best interest of your portfolio investments and your financial future. While every investor has their personal goals and objectives, there are a few steps that everyone should consider. During market volatility: Resist the urge to sell based solely on recent market movements; always take the long-term view; review your risk tolerance; make sure you have a diversified portfolio, and rebalance your portfolio as needed. You may want to consider including defensive assets for more stability. Defensive assets, such as cash and cash equivalents, Treasury securities and other U.S. government bonds, are a good way to stabilize a portfolio when stocks are slipping. For more cool stuff like this, please follow me on Twitter @jimpavia and check out CNBC's Financial Advisor Hub and CNBC + Acorns Invest in You: Ready. Set. Grow. Jim Pavia @JIMPAVIA Worried investors should avoid making big moves because of coronavirus fears Worries about the spread of the coronavirus prompted a sudden market drop on Friday. Many individual investors react to this kind of news in the same way: with an all-or-nothing approach. They would be wise to follow what professional investors do, one expert says. Teaching financial education in schools finally catches on Twenty-one states now require a high school student to take personal finance course to graduate, up from 17 in 2018, according to a new report. Gig work balloons over past decade — as do the financial worries The share of workers in the gig economy has grown 15% among American businesses since 2010, and some experts worry about the financial challenges this trend presents. Near retirement? Avoid these 3 hiccups with your health savings account If you've been a diligent saver, you've been stashing money into your health savings account to help cover those medical costs in retirement. Here are three things you should know if you're approaching your 60s and have an HSA. Every woman should be her own chief financial officer Most women will experience a major financial transition at some point. To ensure smooth transitions and financial security, it's important to be aware of common mistakes and risks to best avoid them. Here are five pitfalls women should avoid. Lawmakers killed this tax strategy for the wealthy. Here's a workaround New stretch IRA rules diluted a popular tax break for the wealthy, but retirement savers could use a particular type of trust as a workaround. Four steps you can take to safeguard your retirement savings from this risk Nobody likes talking about nursing home care, yet the only way to protect your family — and your savings — from this expense is to plan well in advance. Here are four key topics to consider. The top 10 colleges for financial aid The top schools for financial aid are private and have sky-high sticker prices, yet their very generous aid packages make them surprisingly affordable. The financials every entrepreneur needs to know so the doors stay open for business Your core business is baking or motorcycle repair or fine arts consulting. But you still need to know business and money. Don't fall for it "It turns out that the new scams aren't very different from the old scams, and that bull markets are fertile breeding grounds for credulous investors and conniving thieves ..." CONTRIBUTORS Sharon Epperson @sharon_epperson Josh Brown @ReformedBroker Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel   Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy CNBC Events   © 2020 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS