If you’re within five years of retiring, either before or after, you’re at your most vulnerable financially. Here are steps to weather the volatility.

“Stay the course.” “Tune out the noise.” “Focus on the long term.”

That’s the advice that experts typically play on repeat at times like these, when stock prices are volatile or fall — as they did Thursday, when the S&P 500 dropped nearly 5 percent, and Friday, when it fell 6 percent.

It is wise counsel for most people, since no one knows for sure which way the market or the economy will end up this year, and missing out on stock gains, even briefly, can put a big dent in your retirement savings. What’s more, over periods of 10 to 20 years or more, stocks have always bounced back handily after downturns, leaving investors who remained steadfast with far bigger balances than they had before the turmoil.

But what

Keep reading this article on The New York Times Your Money.