As the stock market swings amid tariff and trade war threats, you might get nervous about the effects on your 401(k) or other investments. But a shaky market is no reason to stray from your financial plan.

Behavior at the end of 2018 is a striking example. As the market soured in the final months of the year, investors pulled funds to mitigate losses, according to DALBAR’s 2018 Investor Behavior Study, but not nearly enough to avoid the full fall. Investors then exacerbated the losses because they were out of the market for the subsequent recovery.

Because the average investor withdrew funds when the market declined last year, they recorded losses of 9.42%, per the report, compared to just 4.38% for the S&P on the whole.

That’s a good reminder to stay the course, even amid dramatic daily fluctuations.

Take the long view

If you’re saving for retirement through a 401(k) or IRA, then you’re investing for the long term. Movements in the market now shouldn’t matter much to you if you’re decades away from taking disbursements.

Some experts warn that a bear market is imminent. Even if that doesn’t turn out to be true — there’s no way to predict what the market will do with 100% accuracy — there will be a downturn eventually. Recognizing that should help you overcome urges to sell when things look bad, because the best thing you can do is to keep investing, Danielle Schultz, a certified financial planner, tells CNBC Make It. Embrace the uncertainty.

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