On the other hand, the Omicron variant may pose no threat, or it might be the status quo on the pandemic front. Or, this prolific variant (it has more mutations than other previous variants) might pose a real threat. If it can evade vaccines, we might be somewhat starting over. At the other end of the spike protein spectrum, Omicron may be the best thing that has happened during this pandemic. 

If Omicron is more transmissible compared to Delta, which is the current and prevailing variant, and if Omicron causes much less death and sickness, we will move closer to the other side of the pandemic. Omicron will muscle out Delta; and theoretically, a less-dangerous variant will spread around the globe. That is wishful thinking, but it is a possibility. 

We don’t know how this will play out. The question is: Are you ready for any of these scenarios? 

I often write that any scare is a polite warning for investors. It should not take such an event like this for you to check your investor pulse but take the opportunity now to assess your portfolio, your goals (financial plan) and your risk tolerance level. 

In another strike of blogger post irony, last week I was creating a follow-up post to: “How to prepare your portfolio for the coronavirus outbreak.” I wrote that before the pandemic became a pandemic on February 1, 2020, just as cases were starting to spread around the globe. I did follow up with another post that looked at the performance of that “pandemic portfolio.”

Both posts might be timely today. And if you do need to protect your portfolio assets, you might look to the advanced couch potato portfolios that are designed to be ready for any economic development. 

Be ready for volatility. Make sure you have a rock-solid investment plan you can execute through the noise and scares. This will not be the last variant of concern. 

This is the new not-so-normal reality of this decade. 

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