If you have a high layoff risk, beef up your emergency fund.
"A solid financial plan should call for between three (months') and six months' of cash reserves -- six months if you're in a shaky position, three months if you're in a pretty confident position," Heller says. "Then what you do with your investments after that shouldn't matter as much."
But Nangle says many financial advisers recommend raising that minimum to a year's worth, though she acknowledges that, in today's economy, many workers struggle to build up even a six-month reserve.
"I think you're seeing planners recommending a larger emergency fund depending on the types of risks that the client is facing," Nangle says.