Watching our portfolios slide in value is never fun, and this time around we have the double whammy of knowing our home prices are down as well. I’ve offered some suggestions on my Web site about how to keep from panicking, including turning off the doom-and-gloom commentary and tucking away a bit more cash as a safety net.

Most of the surveys I’ve seen on the topic suggest that women, when they invest, are better investors than men because we trade less often, are less likely to be “overconfident” and more likely to learn from our mistakes. But too many women shun the risk of the stock market because of times like these and deprive themselves of the superior long-term returns only stocks can give.

We shouldn’t let the day-to-day noise of the markets scare us out. If you have an investing plan, stick to it; if you don’t, get one. FinancialEngines.com can help do-it-yourselfers create a retirement portfolio, or you can hire a fee-only planner from NAPFA.org or GarrettPlanningNetwork.com.

TAGS: financial planning, investments, market turmoil, stocks, women and investing