Mid Year 2026

As we reach the midpoint of 2026, the first half of the year has provided another reminder that the future is impossible to predict.

In just six months, investors have experienced military conflict involving Iran, significant disruptions in global energy markets, ongoing inflation concerns, a sudden shift from expectations of lower interest rates to the possibility of higher rates, and sharp declines in both Bitcoin and precious metals.

Any one of these events could have dominated the financial news for months. Instead, they all occurred within a remarkably short period of time.

The important lesson is simple: virtually no one predicted all of these events before they occurred.

Every year begins with countless market forecasts and economic predictions. Yet history consistently demonstrates that the events with the greatest impact on financial markets are often the ones nobody anticipates. If investors waited for geopolitical tensions to ease, inflation to become predictable, interest rates to become certain, or market volatility to disappear, they would likely spend much of their lives waiting.

Markets incorporate new information quickly—often long before the news becomes reassuring. By the time uncertainty has faded, much of the market's recovery has frequently already occurred.

This is one reason we continue to believe that time in the market is far more important than trying to time the market.

Decades of investment research have shown that many of the market's strongest days occur during periods of maximum uncertainty—precisely when investors may feel most uncomfortable remaining invested. Missing just a handful of those strong days can have a significant impact on long-term investment results.

While we cannot control world events, market headlines, inflation, or interest rates, we can control how we respond to them. A disciplined investment strategy and a well-designed financial plan help keep the focus on the factors that matter most: your long-term goals, investment allocation, retirement planning, tax strategies, cash reserves, estate planning, and overall financial well-being.

As we look toward the second half of the year, there will undoubtedly be new headlines, new surprises, and new risks that none of us can accurately predict today. Rather than attempting to forecast every twist and turn, we remain committed to a disciplined investment process grounded in diversification, evidence-based investing, and thoughtful financial planning.

Our responsibility is not to predict the future. Our responsibility is to help you prepare for it.

Thank you for the continued trust you place in our firm. We appreciate the opportunity to serve as your advisor and look forward to helping you navigate whatever lies ahead.

_{The views stated in this piece are not necessarily the opinion of Cetera Advisors LLC and should not be construed directly or indirectly as an offer to buy or sell any securities. Due to volatility within the markets, opinions are subject to change without notice. Information is based on sources believed to be reliable; however, their accuracy or completeness cannot be guaranteed. Investors cannot directly invest in indices. Past performance does not guarantee future results.}

_{The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted average of 30 significant stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ.}

_{The Nasdaq Composite Index includes all domestic and international based common type stocks listed on The NASDAQ Stock Market. The NASDAQ Composite Index is a broad-based capitalization-weighted index}

_{The S&P 500 is a capitalization-weighted index of 500 stocks designed to measure performance of the broad domestic economy through changes in the aggregate market value of 500 stocks representing all major industries.}

_{The MSCI EAFE Index is designed to measure the equity market performance of developed markets (Europe, Australasia, Far East) excluding the U.S. and Canada. The Index is market-capitalization weighted.}

_{The Russell 2000 Index measures the performance of the small-cap segment of the U.S. equity universe and is a subset of the Russell 3000 Index representing approximately 10% of the total market capitalization of that index. It includes approximately 2000 of the smallest securities based on a combination of their market cap and current index membership.}

_{The Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based flagship benchmark that measures the investment grade, US dollar-denominated, fixed-rate taxable bond market. The index includes Treasuries, government–related and corporate debt securities, MBS (agency fixed-rate and hybrid ARM pass-throughs), ABS and CMBS (agency and non-agency) debt securities that are rated at least Baa3 by Moody’s and BBB- by S&P. Taxable municipals, including Build America bonds and a small amount of foreign bonds traded in U.S. markets are also included.}