The main risk from inflation is the danger that it will reduce your purchasing power and the returns from your investments. If your savings and investments are failing to outpace inflation, you may wish to consider investing in growth-oriented alternatives such as stocks, stock mutual funds, variable annuities, or other vehicles.

Bonds and other fixed-income investments tend to be sensitive to changes in interest rates. When interest rates rise, the value of these investments falls. After all, why would someone pay full price for your bond at 6 percent when new bonds are being issued at 8 percent? Of course, the opposite is also true. When interest rates fall, existing bonds increase in value.

When the economy experiences a downturn, the earnings capabilities of most firms are threatened. While some industries and companies adjust to downturns in the economy very well, others — particularly large industrial firms — take longer to react.

When a market experiences a downturn, it tends to pull most of its securities down with it. Afterward, the affected securities will recover at rates more closely related to their fundamental strength. Market risk affects almost all types of investments, including stocks, bonds, real estate, and others. Historically, long-term investing has been a way to minimize the effects of market risk.

Events may occur that only affect a specific company or industry. For example, the death of a young company’s president may cause the value of the company’s stock to drop. It’s almost impossible to pinpoint all these influences, but diversifying your investments will help manage the effects of specific risks.