Don't fear a market sell-off

So with hiccups along the way the market has had a great run. Going back to the lows of March 2009 it's been a spectacular rally. But corrections (a 10+% drop from a high) or even bear markets (a 20+% drop) aren't uncommon. But they're not a reason to flee the market.

Case in point is what has happened during past market corrections. Such events are usually short-lived: ranging from 2.4 to 4.8 months on average. And worse, getting out of the market (besides creating a taxable event) makes it harder to decide when to get back in. Human nature tells us that if the market is down don't go in and if the market rebounds we think it's too expensive. The best long-term strategy is to stay the course.

By the way, on average after a correction has occurred the market rebounds double digits!