Lately, it feels like a new headline breaks every 15 minutes. In times like these, we believe it’s more important than ever to stay in touch and share our perspective on what we’re seeing—and how we’re navigating it within our financial plans and portfolios.

One of the most common questions we’ve been getting is:
“I have cash to put to work, but I want to wait until things settle down.”

As we’ve said before, a 10% market decline happens almost every year, and these pullbacks often create opportunities. Waiting for the perfect moment to invest sounds good in theory—but in practice, it’s nearly impossible to time correctly.

Last week, the market rallied about 5%, yet we’re still down more than 10% from the all-time highs. Could markets dip further? Absolutely. But sitting on the sidelines in hopes of catching the bottom rarely pays off.

And if you don’t have the cash to invest, and your plan is fully funded or you are in distribution mode, then it becomes even more important to focus on your stock to bond allocation.  Make sure you have 2-3 years’ worth of distributions in bonds, and start taking your distributions from the bond portion of your portfolio, NOT the stocks which are temporarily down.  It’s important we manage distributions well in this way, and for tax efficiency.

Historically – as this chart illustrates, markets tend to bottom about nine months before we see a meaningful decline in earnings. Why? Because the stock market is forward-looking—it reacts to what it expects, not what has already happened.

This is why having a disciplined investment plan is so crucial.

In uncertain times, it’s tempting to pause and wait for clarity. But markets tend to reward action, patience, and perspective—not panic or perfection. Our approach remains rooted in long-term thinking, data-driven decision-making, and careful risk management. We continue to look for opportunities, remain diversified, and stay aligned with your goals. As always, we’re here to talk through your plan, answer any questions, and help you move forward with confidence—no matter what the headlines say.

Opinions expressed in the attached article are those of the author/speaker and are not necessarily those of Raymond James. All opinions are as of this date and are subject to change without notice. Investing involves risk and you may incur a profit or loss regardless of strategy selected, including diversification and asset allocation. Prior to making an investment decision, please consult with your financial advisor about your individual situation. Every investor’s situation is unique and you should consider your investment goals, risk tolerance and time horizon before making any investment. The forgoing is not a recommendation to buy or sell any individual security or any combination of securities. The information contained in this report does not purport to be a complete description of the securities, markets, or developments referred to in this material.  The stock indexes mentioned are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly.  Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index of 500 widely held stocks that is generally considered representative of the U.S. stock market.