5 Stocks & ETFs to Protect Your Portfolio During a Market Crash (Starting With $100)

What happens to your investments when the stock market crashes? And should you sell everything, hold cash, or keep investing?

In this episode of The Table, Anthony O’Neal sits down with investing expert Courtney Hale to break down 5 stocks and ETFs that could help protect your portfolio during a market downturn. From Walmart and Coca-Cola to dividend and utility ETFs, Courtney explains how defensive investing works, why panic-selling can cost you thousands, and how to start building protection with just $100. They also reveal why missing just five of the market's best days could dramatically reduce your long-term returns, how wealthy investors prepare for economic uncertainty, and why protecting your money matters as much as growing it. The goal isn't to predict the next crash. It's to have a strategy before it happens.

Mentioned Here:

📖 Order "Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck" (+$275 in free bonuses): https://www.anthonyoneal.com/book 📈 Start Investing Today: https://www.anthonyoneal.com/invest 🎙️ Have an investing question for Anthony & Courtney? Submit yours for a chance to be featured: https://anthonyoneal.com/ask📺 Learn to invest with confidence! Subscribe to Courtney Hale's Investing Uncomplicated YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@Courtney-Hale📈 Join Courtney Hale's FREE Investing Webinar and learn practical strategies to build long-term wealth: https://7figureportfolio.investinguncomplicated.com/

KEY POINTS

00:00 – 5 defensive investments to help protect your portfolio during a market downturn.

02:15 – Why sitting on cash could cost you more than staying invested.

03:50 – How missing just 5 of the market's best days could cut your returns in half.

07:30 – Why panic-selling your investments is the wrong move.

09:00 – Why Walmart and Coca-Cola could hold up during economic uncertainty.

16:30 – The recovery math: why a 50% loss requires a 100% gain.

17:45 – How XLU, SCHD, and XLP can add defensive exposure to your portfolio.