It's 3 P.M. Do You Know Where Your Money Is?

24:59

August 09, 2011

Specialists Donald Vaneck, center, and Robert Tuccillo work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday. (AP)

The stock market experienced the biggest drop since December 2008 on Monday. On Tuesday, it made up some of that lost ground.

The drop in the markets followed the news that the credit rating agency Standard & Poor's downgraded the country's until-then-faultless credit rating. But that's not the only thing that could be contributing to a volatile market. The possibility of more quantitative easing and an ongoing European debt crisis are both likely playing roles in market swings.

So what is one to do with this information? Is the stock market still a smart bet? Should you sell off your 401(k) investments and move your nest-egg into T-bills? Or should you just tune out all the hysteria, hold firm and embrace the conventional wisdom — that in the long term, the stock market is still the place for your money?

We speak to two experts that have two very different ideas of where your money should be.

Guests:

Zvi Bodie, professor of finance and economics, Boston University School of Management; author, "Risk Less and Prosper: Your Guide to Safer Investing"
Cheryl Costa, managing director, AFW Wealth Advisors

This segment aired on August 9, 2011.