"In 2007, I had one wealth manager ask me, "What is your risk tolerance?" and I answered honestly: "I have no idea." It threw him off. I then asked him for the average of his clients' responses. He said, "Most answer that they would not panic up to about 20% down in one quarter." My follow-up question was: "When do most actually panic and start selling low?" His answer: "When they're down 5% in one quarter."