新闻周刊:疫情下9项明智的投资(4)（在线收听）

Work on You, Inc. Washington D.C.-based financial planner Kevin Mahoney recommends using this economic scare as an impetus to earn a professional certification or take a continuing education class that will help make you less reliant on your salary as someone else's employee. Most of these programs have online options—or, if they didn't before, they're likely to be offering virtual classes very soon.

Work on You公司华盛顿分部的理财规划师凯文?马奥尼建议，利用这种经济恐慌作为获得专业证书或参加继续教育课程的动力，将有助于你减少对自己作为他人雇员的薪水的依赖。这些项目中的大多数都有在线选择，或者，如果他们以前没有，但可能很快就会提供虚拟课程。

"Develop the skills and build the network necessary to generate income independently," said Mahoney. This is easier said than done, he acknowledges, but having a way to make money other than relying on your employer may reduce your "fears of being laid off during a recession."

“发展技能，建立必要的网络来独立创造收入，”马奥尼称。他承认，这说起来容易做起来难，但增加一种赚钱的方式，而不是依赖雇主，可能会减少你“在经济衰退期间被解雇的恐惧”。

Ramp up long-term savings. No one knows how long the current carnage in the stock market will go on but prices will eventually rebound and then grow again: There's never been a 15-year period since 1926 when stocks have lost money and typically over long periods they've trounced the competition, according to Ibbotson Associates. Still, as the youngest boomers are learning now, even a long period of rising stock prices may not be enough to seed a comfortable retirement if you weren't able to save enough in the early and middle parts of your career, allowing your investment earnings to compound and grow over a period of many years.

增加长期收入。没人知道目前股市的暴跌会持续多久，但股价最终会反弹，然后再次上涨；据伊博森协会的数据，自1926年以来，股市从未出现过15年的亏损，而且通常在很长一段时间内都能大败竞争对手。不过，不过，正如最年轻的婴儿潮一代现在所了解的那样，如果你在职业生涯的早期和中期没有足够的积蓄让你的投资收益在多年的时间里复合增长，即使是一段长时间的股价上涨也不足以让你有一个舒适的退休生活。

That's why it's imperative to try to set aside more money now, while you still have a job and income coming in and are probably spending less so may have more room in your budget to save. The best way to do this is to automate: Raise your 401(k) contribution rate by a percentage point or two or sign up with your employer or a financial services company to have a set amount shifted from your paycheck or checking account to an IRA every time you get paid.

这就是为什么现在必须尝试存更多的钱，而你仍然有工作和收入，可能会花更少的钱，所以可能有更多的空间在你的预算中节省。最好的方法是自动化：将你的401(k)缴款率提高一到两个百分点，或者与你的雇主或金融服务公司签约，每次领到工资时，从支票账户或个人退休账户中拿出一定数额的钱，存入个人退休账户。

Saving via these retirement plans comes with something of a safety net—although one you shouldn't use unless absolutely necessary. If you run into financial trouble and need to tap your account early to help pay bills, you can usually borrow against your 401(k) if you're still employed or withdraw funds if you're not. Although taking money out before you turn 59 ? (age 55, if you've lost your job) typically means paying a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty, that fee may be waived in some limited circumstances for "hardship," such as high medical bills—a scenario that's unfortunately more likely now in the COVID-19 era than it was just a few week ago.

通过这些退休计划进行的储蓄有某种程度上的保障——尽管除非绝对必要，否则你不应该使用这种保障。如果你陷入财务困境，需要提前动用账户来支付账单，如果你还在工作，通常可以用401(k)计划来借钱;如果你没有工作，通常可以用401(k)计划来取款。虽然从之前你把59?(55岁,如果你失去了你的工作)通常尽早撤军意味着支付10%的罚款，但在一些有限的情况下，这笔费用可能会因为“困难”而被免除，比如高额的医药费——不幸的是，这种情况在19世纪的COVID-19时代比仅仅几周前更有可能发生。