by Scott Ronalds

Since the origin of publicly-traded companies, there are many examples of investors fleeing stocks during periods of economic crisis, geopolitical tensions, or simply heightened global uncertainty. The latest instances being the 2008 global financial crisis and the current coronavirus pandemic.

At the time, the decision to get out seems like a reasonable one. Stop the bleeding, so the thinking goes. And for those that hit the sell button in the heat of a market meltdown, there’s a feeling of instant relief and a few good nights’ sleep. But what follows is the hardest decision in investing — when to get back into the market.

We’ve written a report (download here) that focuses specifically on this issue because it’s both important and timely. We’ve seen it come into play time and time again (thankfully, not with a lot of our clients), and there’s empirical evidence which suggests that many Canadians still remain underinvested after exiting stocks during a previous market selloff.

The report is written as a guide to getting back into the market, whether you’re in your 20’s, 80’s, or anywhere in between. Hopefully you’ll never need to lean on it, but it’s here if you do.