Market downturns are inevitable, but a properly structured retirement plan with guardrails can protect retirees from making emotional decisions that damage long-term financial security.

• The stock market historically grows approximately 10x over a 20-year period despite occasional downturns
• Missing just the five best market days since 1988 could reduce long-term gains significantly
• The danger zone (five years before and after retirement) requires the most conservative allocation
• Proper retirement portfolios typically allocate only 30-60% to stocks with the remainder in bonds and "mailbox money"
• Income needs should be primarily met through stable sources like social security and mailbox money (15-25% of portfolio)
• When markets decline, distributions should come from bonds rather than selling depreciated stocks
• $100,000 invested in the S&P 500 over the past 20 years would grow to $723,000, but missing the 10 best trading days reduces this to just $326,819
• The stock market always recovers—even including extreme drops like the dot-com bubble, 2008 crisis, and pandemic, the S&P 500 averaged 6.62% annual returns from 2000-2020
• Four key facts during market downturns: income depends on mailbox money and social security, distributions come from bonds, bonds often rise when stocks fall, and markets always recover
• Removing emotions from investing decisions is critical for long-term success

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