Ask an Advisor: Should I feel this worried about the presidential election and how it will affect my portfolio?

Ronald E. Lang

Understanding your goals, objectives and risk tolerance are the tenets of basic portfolio construction. Ron is a very positive person, especially about the future, but he is a self-proclaim “Cockeyed Optimist” when it comes to economic and market cycles and properly investing in and around them. He provides you with facts and data that he consumes from hours of research weekly in order to make sure his clientele are on the right path. Ron attended Rider University.

Full Bio Follow

Learn about our Editorial Policy.

Tags
Ask a Financial Advisor

To make Wealthtender free for readers, we earn money from advertisers, including financial professionals and firms that pay to be featured. This creates a conflict of interest when we favor their promotion over others. Read our editorial policy and terms of service to learn more. Wealthtender is not a client of these financial services providers.
➡️ Find a Local Advisor | 🎯 Find a Specialist Advisor

Q: Should I feel this worried about the presidential election and how it will affect my portfolio?

A middle-aged man in a blue suit and tie stands smiling in front of a modern, brightly lit office space with glass walls and blurred office furniture in the background. — Image Credit: Wealthtender.

Elections have consequences, but overall, the market has proven its ability to consistently perform positively in the long run. The bigger issue is our national debt, and we need a President and a Congress to tackle that issue sooner than later. We can only print money for so long. Our interest alone on our debt surpassed our military budget, which I thought could never happen.

No matter who is elected, the market has a tendency to go up in the short term post-election, at least through 2025. This is due to investors feeling a sense of “certainty”. The biggest fear with Wall Street and investors is the “fear of the unknown” of who is going to be the president and when that is determined, people then can figure out where to best allocate their money.

For the long-term, it really doesn’t matter who is elected, even if you are emotionally charged about your political persuasion. Don’t be emotional about your money and investments, focus on your horizon line for when you need to use your portfolio to generate the income you need to live on as you will need to de-risk as you get closer to that time frame.

If you are truly worried and losing sleep, de-risk your portfolio now and then re-assess once the election is over, and you can then focus on the next phase of your time frame. This should be considered right before the election when volatility is higher and you should be able to get better prices, but the long game takes patience, but don’t lose sleep over the election results.

Have a Question to Ask a Financial Advisor?

When you’re uncertain about money matters, submit your question to Wealthtender, and it may be answered by a financial advisor in an upcoming article or in the Wealthtender Expert Answers Forum.

This article was originally published on Wealthtender and is intended for informational purposes only and should not be considered financial advice. You should consult a financial professional before making any major financial decisions. Wealthtender earns money from financial professionals, which creates a conflict of interest when these professionals are featured in articles over others. Read the Wealthtender editorial policy and terms of service to learn more. Wealthtender is not a client of these financial services providers.