Last month a long-time client stopped me after a review meeting and said, "this finally feels good again" . . . and that is what worries me.

A client once told me about a covered wooden bridge near his childhood home. Each winter, fierce storms would shake it and rattle every board. Yet it never collapsed. As he grew older, he learned the secret. The bridge was designed with flexible joints that allowed it to bend under pressure instead of breaking. 

When Marjorie ordered her usual morning latte, she did a double-take; the price was higher . . . again.  This was her one thing, however small that she really enjoyed a coffee at her local coffee shop, a quiet moment alone reading a book but even that was getting more expensive.  Her Social Security check would arrive on schedule, but it wouldn’t stretch quite as far. That small moment captures something much bigger: .....

Tom (name changed for privacy), became convinced that a particular tech stock was destined to keep soaring. Tom was so sure he insisted we double down despite our repeated advice to maintain a more balanced portfolio. The headlines seemed to validate his conviction: analysts were bullish, quarterly earnings sparkled, and the stock reached new highs month after month. Then, the company was hit with a surprise legal issue that sent shares tumbling, erasing a year’s worth of gai

It was just past 7 a.m. on a Monday when a longtime client, a seasoned and busy executive with two decades of C-suite experience, called during his commute. “I skimmed three headlines about the Fed, inflation, and some bad news about chip stocks,” he said, “but I don’t have time to connect the dots. You’ve got this right?” 

President Eisenhower is quoted as saying, “What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.”  This captures much of what investors face as we head into July.  There seems to be more distracting “noise” than usual that seems urgent but may not be as important as the headlines would have you believe. 

President Eisenhower is quoted as saying, “What is important is seldom urgent, and what is urgent is seldom important.”  This captures much of what investors face as we head into July.  There seems to be more distracting “noise” than usual that seems urgent but may not be as important as the headlines would have you believe. 

If you’re a Gen-Xer like me, you probably have put more than a few quarters in pinball machines in your time.   Something about that was just a lot of fun.  Now, imagine yourself inside that machine, and that is what the markets have felt like so far this spring, and as we head into summer, it may not get much better. 

April demonstrated the importance of being prepared for market uncertainty. The month began with the White House’s April 2 tariff announcement on nearly all trading partners. These tariffs were far higher than investors had expected, leading to fears of rising inflation, a global economic slowdown, and a trade war. Stock markets reacted with the sharpest declines since the pandemic.

In my experience, attempts at market timing are often a futile endeavor. Long-term investment success tends to come not from predicting everything that will happen perfectly,

In today's volatile market, even seasoned investors can fall prey to knee-jerk reactions that erode long-term returns. Our latest article,

Warren Buffet has said that we will see who is wearing a bathing suit when the tide goes out. We have enjoyed two years of remarkable growth in the equity markets while the bond markets have languished for many years. Much as innovation is often slow to be adopted in the tech space, it is much slower in the investing space.

Start your year with purpose: A comprehensive guide to setting yourself up for financial success: When it is important – have a checklist. Would you be O.K. with a pilot taking you up in the air without a checklist?

In the early 1950s, computers were the size of buildings and used fragile vacuum tubes that consumed enormous amounts of power and generated a lot of heat. A former IBM Chairman once said, “I think there is a world market for about five computers.”   

Warren Buffet has said that we will see who is wearing a bathing suit when the tide goes out. We have enjoyed two years of remarkable growth in the equity markets while the bond markets h

December 3, 2024 John Browning, MBA and CSA® | CEO, Principal I hope all who read this have had a good Thanksgiving holiday and that you enjoyed many things that money cannot purchase,

Searching For Clarity: How Maintaining Perspective Amidst the Noise Can Help You Position Yourself

I am acutely aware that some of you may feel your entire world depends on the market.  One of the most significant things we help people with at Guardian Rock Wealth is to put them in a position where scary markets are seen as opportunities rather than spooky omens of doom and despair.

Recently, one of my coaches suggested for the fourth time that I try the

There is a scare prank that my daughter showed me on her social media where one person acts as if they see something scary, causing the person they are with to react the same way. The prank is amusing albeit maybe