Well, That Escalated Quickly

What happened to all the optimism from a month ago?! It appears to be long gone.

When pessimism takes hold, it tends to move fast — volatility spikes, bond yields drop, and the stock market retraces gains; now hovering around election-day levels.

But investors aren’t just worried about the market. There’s a broader sense of unease — about the stability of government, the economy’s future, the viability of Social Security and Medicare, global trade disruptions, and rising geopolitical tensions. It’s as if we’re at some pivotal moment in history, with more people uttering the four most dangerous words in investing: "This time is different."

I could point to countless moments in history when uncertainty felt just as, if not more, overwhelming —the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War, 9/11, the Great Financial Crisis of 2008, the early days of COVID. But would that help? Likely not.

The thing is, we tend to remember those crises as less terrifying than they were — because we already know how they ended. But in that moment, they were deeply unsettling.

Despite that, many commentators insist that today’s challenges are "unprecedented." Are they really? It could be argued otherwise. As writer Kelly Hayes put it:

"Everything feels unprecedented when you haven’t engaged with history."

And yet, even knowing that, staying patient and disciplined when the world feels like it’s falling apart is no easy task. I get it.

So, I’m not here to dismiss anyone’s concerns. But I will say this: when fear takes over, history is often the first casualty. It’s easy to assume that the past is no longer relevant, that today’s crisis is somehow different, that this time, we won’t find a way forward.

The reality? Uncertainty isn’t going anywhere.

If anything, it’s becoming harder to navigate. We now have 24/7 access to real-time news in endless formats — tailored to confirm our worst fears and amplify our biases. The business model of modern media isn’t about information; it’s about engagement. Anxiety and outrage keep us coming back for more. The era of Walter Cronkite is long gone.

So Where Do We Find Comfort?

Here’s what I want you to remember: You (we) have put in the work.

We’ve spent years planning — thoughtfully, strategically — for a wide range of scenarios, building a financial plan designed to weather uncertainty. Does that mean we’re immune to challenges? No. But it does mean you’re prepared for them.

And in moments of tumult —the uncertainty, the volatility, the discomfort — we are reminded exactly why we plan.

So no, I’m not asking you to believe that we know exactly how or when things will settle down. I’m simply encouraging you to trust the work you’ve done — to have confidence that your plan is built for times like these.

This too shall pass. As all things do.