3 Steps To Take Now If the Stock Market Is Ruining Your 2025 Retirement Plans
Written by
Cindy Lamothe
Edited by
Amber Barkley
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If you’re watching the stock market and feeling your 2025 retirement plans slip through your fingers, you’re not alone. Fidelity reported there are several factors influencing market volatility right now, including tariff uncertainty and recession fears resurfacing.
Between market ups and downs, it’s easy to start second-guessing everything. But don’t panic just yet — there are smart, simple steps you can take right now to steady your path and keep your retirement dreams alive.
“I’ve been through several market cycles as a financial advisor, and I totally get the panic people are feeling right now,” said Andrew Lokenauth, money expert and owner of BeFluentInFinance. “The thing is, there are actually quite a few moves you can make to protect yourself.”
Below are the top steps to take, according to experts, if you want to retire in 2025.
Get Real About Cash Flow
If the 2025 market swings have you questioning whether you can retire this year, you’re not alone, said Stoy Hall, certified financial planner and CEO of Black Mammoth. But here’s the truth: Panic is not a plan.
The first step is to take a breath and get real about your cash flow.
“Don’t just stare at your portfolio — build a withdrawal strategy based on actual spending needs, not the emotional high or low of your account balance,” Hall said.
The market might be unpredictable, but your day-to-day bills aren’t. He recommended anchoring your plan in what you need, not what you hoped the market would give you.
Zoom Out and Assess Your Income Streams
The second move, according to Hall, is to zoom out and assess your income streams. If you’ve been relying solely on market returns to fund retirement, it’s time to diversify.
That could mean delaying Social Security for a higher payout later, using part-time income to bridge the gap or even tapping a bond ladder or cash reserves while the market rides out the storm.
“Too many retirees pull from the worst-performing asset at the worst time,” Hall explained.
Instead, he advised creating a structured plan that allows your equities some time to rebound.
Redefine What Retirement Looks Like
Lastly, if retirement was part of the plan this year, don’t assume you have to abandon it — but you might need to redefine what retirement looks like.
“Maybe it’s not full-stop; maybe it’s phased,” said Hall.
Maybe you downshift to consulting or part-time work, not out of desperation, but to give your investments time to breathe. Flexibility is power here, he explained.
“The people who navigate this moment best aren’t the ones who predict the market,” he added. “They’re the ones who adapt their game without blowing up the whole playbook.”
More From GOBankingRates
Sources
- Fidelity, “5 factors causing volatility now.”
- Andrew Lokenauth, BeFluentInFinance
- Stoy Hall, Black Mammoth
