We live in dangerous times and your invested wealth is right in the firing line.
All sorts of enemies could shoot your portfolio down. It might be an Israeli attack on Iranian nuclear facilities. Or a trade war between China and Japan over a group of uninhabited islands. Both would blow a big hole in stock markets.
There are other dangers. Mitt Romney, the United States presidential hopeful, has threatened to brand China a "currency manipulator" on his first day in office if he wins the election next month. That could also spark a trade war.
Civil strife in Europe, a Chinese hard landing and the US fiscal cliff - a looming wave of tax rises and spending cuts that could wipe 5 per cent off US GDP next year - are all menacing your money.
Any one of these could torpedo stock markets, especially if several strike at the same time. So what can you do to defend yourself?
Investors have to cope with huge geopolitical uncertainty right now, says Jeremy Batstone-Carr, the head of private client research at Charles Stanley Stockbrokers.
"Our political and economic leaders don't exactly inspire confidence," he says.
"I'm not convinced US politicians will find a satisfactory solution to the fiscal cliff, or that European leaders can resolve what is a highly complex crisis. It's a compelling time, if your nerves can stand it."
Despite the disarray, share prices grew strongly in the third quarter.
"That was mostly because markets were expecting a third round of quantitative easing [QE3] from the US Federal Reserve and further stimulus from China and Europe," Mr Batstone-Carr says. "Well, they've got that. Now they need something else to look forward to and I can't see what it might be."
To rise further, markets need to see strong growth in corporate profits but they're unlikely to get what they want, he adds.
"Company profit expectations have fallen, not just for the final months of this year but for 2013 as well. Margins are under pressure. Bottom lines are weak. I'm not very optimistic."
Mr Batstone-Carr isn't suggesting that you sell your shares and mutual funds. Timing the market is also almost impossible to get right and with many blue-chip dividend-paying stocks yielding 4 or 5 per cent, shares are paying more income than cash.
"More sophisticated investors should consider taking out some portfolio protection, possibly by taking out a put option on your portfolio. That should offset your risks for comparatively low cost."
This will be too complex for most investors. And unnecessary, says Clem Chambers, the founder of Advfn.com, the stocks and shares website.
"All the potential bad news, from Iran to China, Europe to the US, is already priced into markets. Yes, shares may fall if events come to a head, but if that happens, great, I'll buy more at the cheaper price."
Mr Chambers says the biggest threat to your wealth is inflation. "The only way western governments can repay their debts is to inflate them away. They are desperately trying to monetise their debt through more and more money printing and will eventually succeed."
We might have to wait a year or two, but inflation will come, Mr Chambers says.
"And when it does, you need to be invested in assets that hold their value, such as shares, property, commodities and precious metals. In volatile times you need to take risks, otherwise you will be left behind."
Investors shouldn't get too steamed up about potential geopolitical shocks, says Mark Dampier, the head of research at Hargreaves Lansdown, the UK's biggest independent financial advisory.
"We could all wake up one morning to find Israel has obliterated Iran's nuclear facilities. The news would savage the stock market, but how do you invest for that? It may never happen. If the super volcano under Yellowstone National Park exploded, it would make half the US uninhabitable. Should you worry about that as well?"
Running for cover is often more dangerous than charging the guns. "Since the crisis, nervous investors have piled into government bonds, despite getting rock-bottom yields of just 1 per cent or 2 per cent," Mr Dampier adds. "If we do get a burst of inflation the bond market could collapse as investors rush to find a better return. I don't want to be around when that happens. It could make the dot-com bubble look like small fry."
How you respond to these multifarious threats depends on your attitude to risk. If you're really nervous, there's nothing wrong with parking your money in cash, Mr Dampier argues.
"Why do people invest? To save for a better quality of life. But you won't get that if you are worrying about your investments all the time."
Cash withstands inflation better than people think. "Say you have US$10,000 [Dh36,730] on deposit. When inflation rises, savings rates will follow. Best of all, you still have your money. If you left it in the stock market, it might be worth just $7,000."
If all else fails, there's always gold, says Daniel Fisher, the chief executive of Physical Gold, the investment specialist company.
"The US Federal Reserve is injecting more than $40 billion into the economy every month with no upper limit on this printing frenzy. Japan and China are following suit. Gold has extended the biggest quarterly gain in more than two years. With the global economy apparently spiralling out of control, the only question now is how high can gold go?"
With central bankers working hard to stabilise the global financial system, share prices should find some support, says Bob Doll, a senior adviser at BlackRock.
"We are modestly optimistic that the trends will be pointing in the right direction as the year draws to a close, although markets are likely to remain volatile. We expect stocks to continue to outperform government bonds and cash over the next 12 months."
As always with investing, how you respond depends on your personal attitude to risk. If you're feeling shell-shocked, now might be a good time to convalesce in cash. But if you're gung-ho, volatile stock markets could throw up some great opportunities.
Amid all the uncertainty, only one thing is certain, says Mr Dampier.
"There will be winners and there will be losers. The truth is that some investors are going to be lucky and some are going to be unlucky."
Such are the fortunes of war - and investing.
