Winter is coming.....

But not until we get to enjoy a (hopefully) wonderful Fall. Tomorrow sometime we will move from Summer to Fall and mark a day with exactly twelve hours of daylight.

Half light. Half dark.

And slowly with each day 2-3 minutes of daylight is lost until the pattern reverses at the end of December.

Unlike the consistent repetition of night into day and Fall into Winter, the financial markets move randomly and without warning. Don't be trapped into thinking that what goes up will never come down.

Do what smart money does. Take some profits in stocks and mutual funds that may be up 50% or more over the past few years. Build your "cushion" by adding to your safe money holdings.

Nothing has changed. Be prepared for whatever may come your way.

Allocate some of your retirement money for the light of day (stocks and real estate for example) and set some money aside for the darkness at midnight (bonds, CDs and guaranteed annuities).

No matter what happens, be the person with options. Be the person who can pick and choose the best place to take the retirement income they need.