Checking In with Ara – April 2025

Market Volatility, Family Time, and the Power of Staying the Course

It’s been a busy season of life lately—between traveling back and forth from San Diego to Scottsdale to meet with clients and settling into life as a new dog dad, there’s rarely a dull moment. Training a rescue pup has been both fun and a little chaotic, but I’m enjoying every bit of it. I also recently spent time in Palm Springs visiting my parents while my sister was in town from Europe. It was the first time in a couple of years that our whole family was together, and it was great to reconnect and catch up with my nieces and nephews.

While it’s been a season of personal connection, the markets have been going through a whirlwind of their own. Over the past few weeks, we’ve seen some dramatic swings—one of the worst four-day stretches since the COVID downturn followed by the largest single-day rally since 2008. Understandably, this kind of volatility can feel unsettling. But here’s the good news: we’ve planned for moments like this. As I’ve shared in past meetings and updates, this is exactly why we use The Bucket Strategy®. It’s designed to provide structure and confidence through uncertainty.

When headlines get noisy and markets swing, the temptation to move everything into cash can be strong. But history shows us that long-term success comes not from timing the market, but from time in the market. That’s why we allocate equities in Bucket 3 with a 10–15 year time horizon. And remember—Bucket 1, which covers the first seven years of income needs, contains no equities at all. This built-in buffer helps shield you from short-term volatility while keeping your long-term goals intact.

Lately, I’ve also been working with clients to review their outside accounts—retirement plans, investment accounts, even cash savings—to make sure everything is working together as part of their personalized Bucket Strategy. If you’d like to take a closer look at how your outside assets fit into your overall plan, let’s connect. Give us a call, and we’ll set up a time to talk.

Wishing you all the best until next time!