You can find plenty of ads on the internet telling you the sky is falling, and you should “click here” for the only thing that can save you.

At Northshore Wealth Management, instilling fear is not on the drop-down menu of services we offer. Quite the opposite, actually. I feel it is my job to assure people that growth opportunities are worth the risk and market volatility isn’t something to fear, only something to capitalize on.

That being said, if fear isn’t something you can overcome as an investor, it’s ok. My motto is “Live Long and Live Well”. If the stress of market volatility is going to cause a heart attack and send you to an early grave, it defeats all of our efforts toward living long and living well.

There are ways to grow your money without taking on market risk, and there are strategies in between growth and conservative investing that can be adjusted until they fit you just right. Maybe only some of your assets should take on market risk in exchange for growth opportunities, while the bulk of your assets stay sheltered from market loss entirely. Maybe no market exposure at all is what will allow you to sleep at night. It’s your money and your hand on the controls.

When I meet with you, I will tell you, in my professional opinion, what a sensible strategy for your assets would look like. For most people, giving at least some of your assets an opportunity to capture growth in the market is a smart strategy, but I have great respect for the phrase ‘no means no’. You can tell me no, and I will listen. We’ll work on it until we find the right strategy for you to either grow or shelter your assets, or use a blend of the two.

Some market strategists are warning of an approaching pullback that could cut as deep as 10% from our recent highs. My advice for that is if you are going to take on market risk in an effort to capitalize on growth opportunities, then do it with a strategic plan. I’m not a fan of bobbing freely in the water like an index fund, hoping for the best. I built our Mainsail Equity Model with a strategic plan to point our sail in the direction we want. Mainsail’s YTD return peaked at 22% last week. If we fall 10% from there, we’ll still land above where the S&P 500 index peaked this year.

Yes, we are entering a period of a potential market pullback, and you’re going to see more news headlines about that now. Yes, a lot of it is true. Is that a reason to be afraid? No. But if you’re going to be afraid no matter what, I understand. You’re not alone in those fears, and I know telling you not to be scared doesn’t change a thing. There are strategies that can keep your assets safe and keep your mind at ease, hopefully enabling you to live longer with lower stress levels. I’m happy to tell you about those options at no cost to you, if you’d like to learn more. I only charge a fee to manage your assets, not to talk to you about what that might look like. If you decide hiring me is not the route you want to take, my only ask is that you repay me for my time by putting in a good word for me with someone else who might need some good financial advice, if you found value in my insight.

Live Long and Live Well,

Alyse