BY MEGHAN MURRAY

As an investor, you constantly want to see your portfolio move just one way – up. But that’s not possible, because the financial markets will always fluctuate.

So, if you’re going to invest for many decades, you need to be prepared for many ups and downs. Still, the recent market pullback from record highs, caused largely by the coronavirus, may have you particularly concerned. How can you navigate this environment?

Here are five suggestions:

• Avoid the temptation to panic. This pullback, while unsettling and unprecedented because of its speed, won’t last forever. And when it ends, you’ll still want to be invested in the financial markets, because the biggest gains usually occur in the earliest stages of a market rally. Of course, there are no guarantees in the investment world, but we’ve seen many examples of this pullback/rebound pattern throughout history.

Due to concerns regarding the ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic, the Lake George Park Commission is delaying implementation of its mandatory boat inspection program until June 1, as opposed to the traditional May 1 date.

Commission Chairman Bruce Young said the decision was made to protect the health and safety of the boating public and the commission’s boat inspection staff.

“The commission must balance the risk of new introductions of aquatic invasive species versus the health and safety of the public and our staff,” said Young. “An analysis of launch data from the past six years of the mandatory inspection program shows a lower risk for invasives introductions in the month of May compared with the summer months. Only 4 percent of annual decontaminations occur in May, and most boats are being launched for the first time of the season.”

SUNY Empire State College will open computer labs at five of its campuses and learning hubs across New York state to the public to help ensure an accurate, complete count in the 2020 census—the first-ever census to be conducted primarily online.
One of the labs is in Saratoga Springs.
Residents will receive instructions from the Census Bureau in the mail that explain how to officially respond to the census online, by phone or by mail. Empire campuses in Albany, Saratoga Springs, Rochester, Manhattan, and Long Island will be open to the community to complete the online questionnaire.