Let me start with something you might be feeling but haven’t said out loud:
It’s exhausting trying to make sense of the financial news right now.
Every day, you're hit with headlines. Tariffs. Inflation. Recession. Market crashing. Gold surging. Some "expert" on TV calling for the next collapse. Articles flooding your inbox with charts, predictions, and fear.
And it’s hard to know what’s worth your attention and what’s just noise.
I get it.
The reality? Most of it is noise.
Not all of it. But the overwhelming majority of what comes out of financial media and economic commentary is designed to grab your attention, not to improve your outcomes.
That’s why I want to offer a simple message: You don’t need to read or react to any of it. And I certainly won’t.
When clients forward me articles predicting market doom or calling out the latest macro threat, it’s almost never because they want me to intellectually dissect it. What they really want to know is:
“Am I still going to be okay?”
And that’s a question I welcome. Because we built a plan for moments just like this.
Just because someone with a PhD says something doesn’t make it relevant to your life.
Warren Buffett once said: "If past history was all there was to the game, the richest people would be librarians." He’s also been famously skeptical of economists, noting how often their theories fall apart when faced with real-life investing.
And I have to agree. Most economists I’ve encountered are brilliant on paper and wildly disconnected from the realities of life. They speak in theory, but they don’t live in the real world with clients like you, trying to raise families, run businesses, and retire with peace of mind.
Our job is not to outguess economists. It’s to protect your plan from being derailed by misguided fear.
One of the most powerful questions I ask when someone shares a scary headline is:
"How do you see this affecting the success of your long-term financial plan?"
That one question usually puts things in perspective.
The truth is, no single article, no single news segment, and no single economic forecast has the power to override a well-designed, long-term plan. Unless you let it.
And we won’t let it.
Markets wobble. Headlines scream. Doomsayers emerge. It’s like clockwork.
During uncertain times, some people send links with the subject line, "Thoughts?"
Here's my response:
I don’t spend my time reading and rebutting every article that shows up online. Because that time is better spent keeping you aligned to your goals.
You don’t need another counterargument. You need clarity. You need confidence. You need a reminder that volatility is normal, expected, and accounted for in your plan.
I had worked with a couple for many years—decades, in fact. After the husband passed away, their adult son stepped in. He had a lot of questions.
"Why is there so much in stocks at her age? Shouldn’t she have more alternative investments?"
Those are fair questions. But instead of launching into a lengthy defense, I asked him:
"What does ‘normal’ mean to you?”
“What is it about alternatives that you find appealing right now?”
We didn’t argue. We explored. And I reminded him—gently but firmly—that this strategy is what built his parents' wealth, and continues to serve his mother well.
You don’t have to chase new ideas just because the world feels unstable. Often, the most powerful move you can make is to do nothing.
Markets don’t move in straight lines. They can be irrational. They can be reactive. Buffett has said Berkshire Hathaway stock has been cut in half multiple times without any fundamental change in the business.
Totally normal.
Over the short term, prices swing based on emotion. But over time, stock prices follow earnings, dividends, and the growth of real companies.
That was true during the financial crisis. During Covid. Brexit? (Remember back in 2016 when the UK voted to leave the EU? Remember how the media concluded that it was going to throw the world into a crisis? And what happened? That's right...nothing). And whatever this current 'crisis' turns out to be—legitimate or otherwise—the truth is that the collective power of great companies will adapt, adjust, and move on. They always have.
You can’t control headlines. You can’t control politics. You can’t control inflation or tariffs or central banks.
But you can control how you respond.
That’s why we focus on behavior. Because the biggest risk to your future isn’t the market. It’s abandoning your plan in a moment of fear.
I will not be distracted by daily noise. I will not chase headlines. And I will not let you get pulled off course.
Because that’s what real advice is.
If you see something that makes you nervous, I’m here. Not to refute it point-by-point, but to help bring you back to your plan.
Because your plan still works.
Ready for clarity amid the noise? Schedule a call with us to talk through what your goals are and what legacy you're looking to build. Let's refocus on the vision that matters most to you—not today's headlines. No panic, just perspective on the path to your future.