War in Iran. Inflation. An oil crisis. Regime change at the Federal Reserve. New technology threatening American jobs. High gas prices driving public approval ratings of the President lower.

1979 was a pretty rough year, wasn’t it?

Oh, you thought we were talking about 2026?

It’s a bit facetious, but it makes the point. There will be wars, inflation, crises, recessions, and more. There will always be bad news.

It’s our fundamental belief — that drives our behavior in serving clients — that all of this is short-term distraction from our long-term goal of wealth building.

All that bad news drives clicks and eyeballs for media companies. Their business is your attention, and they’ll earn it however they have to.

But that’s not our business. Our business is to be a good steward of your money, to guide and educate you in service of helping you make good decisions with your money.

And paying attention to the crisis of the day isn’t just the wrong thing when it comes to making decisions about how you invest your money — it’s the exact opposite of the right thing.

It’s our belief that the best behavior, for the long run, is to keep investing.

There’s a crisis? Keep investing.

The crisis is resolved? Keep investing.

The market’s down? Keep investing.

The market’s up? Keep investing.

But this time feels different? Keep investing.

It’s human nature to feel compelled to do the opposite. Having strong emotional reactions — and feeling an overwhelming need to make money decisions based on those reactions — is normal and common.

History has also shown that investors who listen to these urges, in general, are terrible at timing the markets.

Hypothetically, we buy low, sell high, and repeat until rich. But more often than not, the irrational trader — let’s not dignify him or her with the investor title any longer — buys high and sells low. Because it feels good to buy when the market is up, and bad to hold when the market is down. So rather than buying low then selling high, they buy high then sell low.

Which is why the wisdom that prevails is:

“Time in the market beats timing the market.”

That is, just keep buying. And never sell based on any prediction of what you think the market might do.

Participating in the best days of the market typically only comes when you’re also willing to ride out the worst.

Historically, this has been the most reliable way for investors to participate in the wealth-building power of the investment markets.

And what role does your advisor play in this?

Of course, a small portion of our value proposition is helping you develop and implement a portfolio and investment plan, based on your personal situation and goals.

And even today, in light of market changes, we are proactively doing that.

For example, historically earnings have been an important driver of stock prices. In certain segments of the market right now, every $1 of earnings is more than twice as expensive as in other segments of the market. So, we have been making proactive adjustments to our investment strategy, to avoid overpaying for earnings.

This is not a reaction to today’s news. It is a response to market conditions, predetermined within the investment plan. If we are buying a business — as you are, when you buy a stock — we’d rather pay less than more for each $1 of earnings. But again, this is a strategic response to the market, built into the plan. Not an emotional reaction.

It’s reactions that get you in trouble.

Which is why a much larger portion of our value proposition is helping you stick with your plan when every bone in your body is screaming to do otherwise.

It’s our philosophy that the best investment decisions are not fickle, not emotional, not reactive. An intelligent investor does their best to avoid those decisions.

And so on those days when making calm decisions is most difficult, our role is to cut through the worries and help you stick with the plan.

On some days, the best money advice we could give is: Turn off the TV, close the laptop, and go for a walk. Even if today feels uniquely challenging, this time is not different.

This article was written for financial advisory clients of Asset Strategies. If you’re not yet a client and you’d like to connect with an advisor and see how they may be able to help you work towards your goals, request a Welcome Call here.