Remember the Sears catalog? Going to the mall every weekend with friends?

I often laugh at memories of growing up heading with my mom to the “husky” section of the Sears store for my jeans. Might as well of had a big neon “Fat Boys” sign lit up for us on the more “chubby” size at one point in our young impressionable lives. I’m not sure what larger, more “roomier” pants are now labeled, but one thing I know is that you don’t have to get out of your comfy PJs to schlep to the Sears store to buy them. With the click of a button, they’re on their way to your house. Overnight.

The Atlantic and The Wall Street Journal along with other major publications, have recently headlined that we are in a major retail meltdown. The retail bubble has burst and the bricks are strewn all over. Retail bankruptcies are soaring, stores and full malls are shuttering up, iconic flagship stores are closing. We are seeing a retail ELE (Extinction-Level Event) much like an asteroid hitting the earth.

People much smarter than I have concluded why. Online shopping has surged. Malls were overbuilt. Buying patterns are shifting. Higher minimum wages squeezing retailers. Rise in travel and restaurant going instead of clothes buying. The amazing rise of Amazon and other online retailers. Smart phone shopping. And those predicting the future of retail see autonomous shopping—i.e. shopping from driverless cars that are summoned by your phone for you to buy right from the car, on the street. Wow.

When I look at this from an investment point of view, I wonder what I should be investing in. I wonder what will come next. I know you can’t count out some of the leaders of the retail industry. While they might have been slow to the party, they are re-inventing themselves and re-building their brands to compete in this new world order. They now are taking the approach to their online competitors “if you can’t beat them, join them!”

Zerohedge.com outlined the data of the current state of affairs well. So what does that mean for investors like you and me? I know we all will spend some of what we earn. There are things we will buy. Things we need. Things we want.  The question moving forward is where. And that’s why as I think carefully and do research about where to invest my money, I want to make sure I don’t put all my eggs in one basket. In one industry. In one asset class alone.

I am an advocate of a diversified portfolio—to ensure I can build and preserve my wealth. Real Estate. Commodities. Securities. Cash. And as for securities—if I invest in the retail stock market, it’s with companies that have a strong online presence and detailed online strategy. And have collaborations with popular designers and other trendy artists to rise above the competition in ways that attract shoppers.  Or in a retail ETF that with a decreased value that could increase exponentially with the right mix of securities.

Whatever you do, if it’s investing in the retail industry, do your research. Get educated so that even during this industry’s major course correction, you can make money. Even if I can’t buy my husky pants at Sears anymore, I’m still going to buy pants. From the companies that survive and thrive. Thank God they’re now just called “relaxed fit.”