Q: How should individuals manage retirement accounts in a bear market?

A: Bear markets are a natural part of a healthy, cyclical market that should be expected. Navigating a bear market requires fine-tuning your investment approach. Generally, if you are still working and contributing to your retirement accounts, continue to invest in an effort to improve the quality of your holdings. Contributions are being invested at lower levels and will likely appreciate over time. Retired investors should balance living expenses against life expectancy and identify opportunities to reduce or suspend distributions so your investments have time to recover and continue to grow.