The stock market crash in 1987 occurred in October.  Since then, there has always been headlines and chatter about this event this time of year that may provide fodder for the market jitters.  However, despite the perception of volatility during this season, historically October has been one of the better performing months for the broad markets on average.

Much has changed since then.  Everything from computerized trading to how monetary policy is formulated, and everything in between.  Thirty-seven years has brought enormous gains in technology.  Access to investing through retirement plans and applications on phones has brought new dynamics to investors, mostly in the last ten years.

In as much as there has been technological advancements and greater accessibility to investing in the broad markets, some things remain the same.  The emotional part of investing seems to be perpetual.  The ebbs and flows of the markets and pronounced volatility still keeps some investors up at night. No matter your age, even if the proverbial “rule of thumb” tells us to be more aggressive when we are young, being overly aggressive may not be a viable fit for everyone’s personality.  The old adage of “time in the market” versus “timing the market” may help to ease concerns when the volatility peaks.

As we move into October, let’s not have perception add to the jitters, or persuade long term strategies.

Peter Janowsky