The election is just a week away – and markets may be about to enter a rocky period – but investors can take a few steps to ensure their portfolios are ready to handle potential shocks. The S & P 500 is toting a 1.3% gain in October, but it's up more than 22% in 2024.

"Expect elevated volatility due to the election and earnings uncertainty," said Craig Johnson, chief market technician at Piper Sandler, in a Tuesday note, suggesting that investors use pullbacks to add to their positions. He said his team expects the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) , a measure of expected volatility, to remain elevated around 20 until after Election Day. Individual investors are already expressing some worries about how the markets might behave in the run-up to Nov.

5 – and the days that follow. "Clients often start wondering if the markets are going to dive off a cliff or surge to new heights depending on who wins," said Logan Queck, certified financial planner and founder of Total Wealth in West Des Moines, Iowa. "It's easy to get caught up in the noise, but the real challenge is keeping a long-term perspective.

" Gut checks and opportunities Investors who are losing sleep over the prospect of volatile markets would benefit from reviewing their goals and time horizons – and understanding that short-term shocks to the upside or downside are to be expected. "I'm worried about people trying to outsmart the election cycle, or their fear forces them to do something that's counter to their inter.