How to prepare a portfolio for a bear market?

First of all, make sure you have your emergency funds set aside.

You can look at re-allocating your portfolio by investing in more defensive stocks or bonds. You can also consider holding the cash, then investing when you deem the stock prices low enough during the bear market.

Keep it diversified, keep investing.

You can't time a bear market. People have tried, and they're all smarter than you and me. Even when it was MOST OBVIOUS to someone it was going to occur - such as the Big Short of 2008 - they had to endure almost 3 years of losses first.

Keep it diversified, keep investing.

Having weathered a few rounds of layoffs, an almost iron rice bowl job is like just a fancy dream to me. In good times, when you're holding a job, stay frugal, so that if you get hit again, you won't be caught 'naked' (penniless) .

For me, I don't need to stay in a condo and to drive a car, in order to feel happy.

If possible, try to develop another side income.

I still stay invest despite market downturns, better to invest in financially sound companies ( preferably debt/equity of below 20%) that can pay over 4% dividend yields to let that stock 'pay' you a steady stream of lazy income, while you wait for better times.

Instead of putting cash in banks that earn less than 1% interests, better to invest on dividend-paying shares.

Most important, don't just focus on yields alone, must consider whether this company is financially sound - remember the lesson learned from investing in high yield loans from Hyflux and those oil & gas companies.

When investing in companies, management quality and credibility is the most important, financial figures can tell lies. But if management credibility is there, the price can go and down according to business cycles, but when business cycle is on uptick, for sure share price will bounce back very strong. If there is no management credibility, the price will just languish there and become a 'value trap'.

Have a stable almost iron rice bowl job.

No point thinking about a portfolio and investing when you are retrenched and out of job for 1 year.

Stable income means you can invest during a bear market consistently. Out of job for 1 year means you are more focused on finding next job and eating into your savings.