Every few years, the markets remind us that volatility isn't an anomaly — it's part of the deal. When those moments arrive, I want you to know exactly what to expect from us, and I want to be honest about what we need from you as well.
We Don't Try to Outrun the Market
The research on market timing is remarkably consistent: investors who move in and out in response to short-term conditions almost always underperform those who stay the course. To successfully time the market, you have to be right twice — when you get out, and when you get back in. Most investors don't manage that reliably, and the cost of being wrong even once can be significant.
Our investment platform through AssetMark is designed with this in mind. Portfolio changes can take anywhere from several hours to several days to process. That's not a limitation — it's a feature. It creates a natural pause between a headline and a decision, which is exactly where good judgment lives.
Your financial plan was built around your goals, your timeline, and your full picture. A volatile week doesn't change any of those things.
A Note on Email
We cannot accept investment or trade instructions by email. This is a regulatory requirement. Any instruction to make a portfolio change must come by phone, in a live conversation, or through a signed form agreed upon in advance.
If you email us asking us to make a change, we will call you — we won't act on the email alone. A moment like this deserves a real conversation, not a message thread.
The Most Important Thing: Please Call Us
If you're feeling uneasy, anxious, or tempted to make a change — call us. That is exactly what we're here for.
When we talk, we'll walk through your full picture together: your resources, your timeline, your flexibility, and what your strategy was built to handle. We'll look at whether anything has actually changed in a way that warrants action. Most of the time, the right answer is to stay the course — but we'll arrive at that together, not by default.
Our focus, through every market cycle, stays the same: diversification, thoughtful planning, and the long-term strategy we designed with you in mind.
We're here. Don't hesitate to pick up the phone.