Ask yourself these two questions in volatile markets

This has been the worst ever start to a year for the stock market, and stocks tanked again today. But that’s not all. Investors are seeking the security of government bonds. Oil continues to trade below $30 a barrel. Netflix is raising its prices. A massive snowstorm threatens the Mid-Atlantic. The new Star Wars movie didn’t get an Oscar nomination for best picture. The list of panic and chaos could go on. These recent events (at least the ones related to financial markets) have triggered lots of angst and questions from investors, some of which we responded to last Friday. Our readers have done most of the asking lately, but now it’s our turn to pose a couple of questions to you: 1) Do you have a strategy? How do you deal with market drops like the one we saw today? Instead of repeatedly smashing your head into the laptop, consider a more constructive approach. Rebalancing your portfolio so that your original asset allocation (mix of stocks, fixed income, and cash) is where you intended it to be could be a good move. To bring your asset allocation back to the original percentages you set for each type of investment,