The uproar in the financial market reminds us of one of the famous Aesop’s fables about the tortoise and the hare. Remember that the hare boasted of how fast he was and he challenged everyone else to beat him. The tortoise, poised and confident, accepted the challenge.

We all know how the story ends. The hare takes off out of sight, stopped and took a nap. Of course, the tortoise steadily moves along and by the time the hare awoke, and saw that his opponent was finishing the race, he could not catch up. Therefore, slow and steady wins.

The Wall Street financial markets, in their disarray, are really like the hare, realizing in the end that they can’t make it to the finish line. So how does the tortoise or the Main Street

Individual investor cope in the current market? Quite simply, stay the course. Don’t stop or run away. Continue to fund your retirement plan, college plan and emergency funds. Those who are more likely to lose in this market will be jumping out of it. Stay in the game and continue to pay yourself first.

If you’re an investor who is taking distributions from your retirement plan, don’t be as concerned about the day to day balance in your account as the income that is being generated each month. Focus on the income. If the income comes from dividends or interest, it doesn’t matter if the price of the stock or bond falls, as long as that income source is able to continue paying the dividend or paying the interest, you will still generate the same amount of money.

If you’re withdrawing income from an investment, it might make sense to set aside about twelve to eighteen months of the income that you need in a cash account. This way you can withdraw from the cash account during this segment of time in which market is volatile. This will allow the investment to continue to stay invested and take advantage of corrections in the market as time goes on.

Lessons learned, even from childhood stories, are timeless. Like the clunky tortoise that stayed the course, so should we. Continue to pursue your already-established financial goals. And finally, as difficult as it may be, try to mute the infiltration of attention-getting financial headlines in this election year. We are a resilient nation. History has taught us this lesson.

Susan L. Porath is a Financial Advisor with the Navigator Planning Group and can be reached at (920)406-8500 or at sporath@navigatorpg.com. Securities and Advisory services offered though SII Investments, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC and a Registered Investment Advisor. Navigator Planning Group and SII are separate companies.