It's all part of the plan

This week’s market swings have understandably raised a few eyebrows. With headlines full of dramatic language, it’s easy to feel that something extraordinary is happening.

But while the headlines may be loud, the reality is less alarming. What we’re seeing is a notable dip, yes but not an unusual one. In fact, it’s in line with the kind of volatility we’ve seen during other uncertain periods, such as the early stages of the pandemic.

The important thing to remember is that your financial plan already factors this in.

Your investments are diversified across a wide range of asset types, from global equities to bonds and other lower-risk holdings. That mix is carefully chosen based on your personal circumstances - including how close you are to retirement and how much income you may need in the near term.

This structure helps reduce your exposure to short-term market shocks and keeps your long-term goals on track. While it’s never comfortable to see markets fall, history shows us that they do recover (please see image above) and that staying invested is one of the most reliable ways to build and preserve wealth over time.

So if the noise is making you feel unsettled, please know that your plan was built for exactly this kind of moment. In fact these temporary market declines come around as often as your birthday. The average intra-year decline is about 16% since the beginning of the century, that’s 25 years now! And yet your investments have relentlessly pushed forwards. 

And of course, if you’d like to talk anything through, I’m just a phone call or email away.