When we’re faced with an onslaught of 24/7 scary headlines about the coronavirus, it doesn’t hurt to take time out to remind ourselves of some basic verities of investing.

With no intent to diminish the effect this illness may have on many people’s lives, too often investors react rashly to these types of scary and unpredictable events.

Barring a change in your own financial circumstances, the wise course is often to stick with your investment plan. We have found that those investors who react to the movement of the markets, rather than stick with the wisdom of a carefully constructed personal financial plan, invariably fail. On the other hand, the long-term strength of wisely constructed, diversified investment portfolios based on such a plan and patiently adhered to is well proven.