Plan sponsors are likely getting—or about to get—a deluge of questions from anxious participants these days about what a recession could do to their retirement investments and savings. Nerves are jumpy, especially in the wake of extra tariffs on China, news of farmers going bankrupt, the trucking industry shrinking, layoffs at U.S. Steel just after the White House touts how well the American steel industry is doing, and economists sending up flares warning of the dreaded R-word. What can you do? Well, there are ways to safeguard—at least partially—the cash employees have managed to stash, and to choose investments that can see them through retirement with less risk than might be expected. But employees might not be aware of them. So we've gleaned from some experts a batch of tips that could come in handy: Consumer Reports offers suggestions about how to set your mind more at ease in the teeth of a recession. So do Business Insider, The Conversation and Bankrate. Several of these suggestions overlap, and some are definitely not new (call them evergreen), which provides yet one more piece of advice that sponsors can give participants: Don't panic and jump on the latest bandwagon. But admittedly, it's hard not to after last week's stock market nosedive of 800 points just at the mere mention of the word by bond markets, so to speak. (Of course it was unsettling to see long-term bond interest rates dive below those of short-term bonds—the dreaded inverted yield curve—but still.) Despite current events, not panicking should be the first rule in most fraught situations—and remember, a recession hasn't even hit yet. READ MORE: How to invest and profit in the next recession Preparedness plans Will health care hiring signal the next recession?