Seek Out Core Sector Stocks
If you want to insulate yourself during a recession partly with stocks, consider investing in the healthcare, utilities and consumer goods sectors. People are still going to spend money on medical care, household items, electricity and food, regardless of the state of the economy.
Market crashes do not affect banks and deposits in US banks are insured for $250000 per client per bank.
Inflation Is Eating Away at Your Funds
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average rate of inflation from April 2023 to April 2024 was 3.4%. If you've been keeping your money in a savings account with a lower yield than the rate of inflation, you should switch over to a higher-yield account.
Banking regulation has changed over the last 100 years to provide more protection to consumers. You can keep money in a bank account during a recession and it will be safe through FDIC and NCUA deposit insurance. Up to $250,000 is secure in individual bank accounts and $500,000 is safe in joint bank accounts.
“Banks are generally considered the safest place to keep cash, since accounts insured by the FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) protect individual deposits up to $250,000,” he said.
For workers and households, the picture was less rosy. Unemployment was at 5% at the end of 2007, reached a high of 10% in October 2009, and did not recover to 5% until 2015, nearly eight years after the beginning of the recession. Real median household income did not recover to pre-recession levels until 2016.
Stocks and bonds have relatively low transaction costs, allow you to diversify more easily and leave your cash more liquid than real estate (although the stock market is typically more volatile than the housing market). Meanwhile, real estate is a hedge against inflation and has tax advantages.
Bottom line. For the most part, if you keep your money at an institution that's FDIC-insured, your money is safe — at least up to $250,000 in accounts at the failing institution. You're guaranteed that $250,000, and if the bank is acquired, even amounts over the limit may be smoothly transferred to the new bank.
What Are the Biggest Risks to Avoid During a Recession? Many types of financial risks are heightened in a recession. This means that you're better off avoiding some risks that you might take in better economic times—such as co-signing a loan, taking out an adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM), or taking on new debt.
Key Takeaways. Stock price drops reflect changes in perceived value, not actual money disappearing. Market value losses aren't redistributed but represent a decrease in market capitalization. Short sellers can profit from declining prices, but their gains don't come directly from long investors' losses.
However, while the average recession lasts just 11 months, it generally takes the market more than two years to bounce back to its pre-bear peak. So, the first thing you should do to make your portfolio more recession-resistant is shore up your cash reserves.
The Bottom Line
CDs are a comparatively safe investment. They can provide a stable income regardless of stock market conditions when they're managed properly. Always consider emergency money that you might need in the future when you're thinking of purchasing a CD or starting a CD ladder.
Global recession outlook
There is now a 35% chance that the global economy will enter a recession by the end of 2024, and a 45% chance that it will do so by the end of 2025.
Ironically, it was World War II, which had arisen in part out of the Great Depression, that finally pulled the United States out of its decade-long economic crisis.
It lasted only eight months and was not particularly severe in terms of jobs lost, with payroll employment declining by less than 2 percent (compared with more than 6 percent during the Great Recession and nearly 15 percent during the pandemic recession).
Credit unions and banks are both insured, with most banks being insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for up to $250,000 per customer.
During a recession, economic activity slows. When consumers spend less, the demand for goods and services falls. Once that happens, prices tend to drop, slowing down inflation.
As long as your deposit accounts are at banks or credit unions that are federally insured and your balances are within the insurance limits, your money is safe. Banks are a reliable place to keep your money protected from theft, loss and natural disasters. Cash is usually safer in a bank than it is outside of a bank.
U.S. government securities—such as Treasury notes, bills, and bonds—have historically been considered extremely safe because the U.S. government guarantees timely payment of interest and principal, backed by its full faith and credit.
Beyond the insurance issue, credit unions are considered safer than banks because they tend to take fewer risks and adhere to conservative investment principles. In part, that's because credit unions are nonprofits whose owners are their members, whereas banks are for-profit entities whose owners are investors.
The government generally can't take money out of your bank account unless you have an unpaid tax bill (and before they go to that extreme, they will send you several notifications and offer you multiple opportunities to pay your outstanding taxes).