No doubt many of us are following the news flow around Russia and Ukraine. It was just under 2 years ago that we were gripped by another event which consumed us, and you’d be forgiven for wondering why you haven’t been allowed a break between the two.

Your Portfolios

Experience teaches us that something will happen. The Covid pullback of March / April 2020 is an obvious example, but you could insert any event. It’s not an if. What makes it hard is picking the timing and impact of these events. It is a fool’s game to assume one has the ability and foresight to time events and adjust portfolios both before and after impact, so as to optimally miss downside and capture upside. I spoke more about this last month here - Uncertainty, Risk and Probability.

In light of this disturbing event, please keep in mind that  

1. Our portfolios are designed to handle impact, in the full knowledge it is coming. Our multi-asset, diversified positions mean we can ride these risk events better than most (we design against risk) 

2. Our specialist teams are closely monitoring every element of your portfolio to make sure it is not only robust today, but ready for tomorrow. If that means we need to adjust, we will. As happened several times throughout the 2020 Covid year, we tweaked your setups as the landscape evolved. Our solution’s ability to handle impact and the strong performance since are testament to the quality and quantum of our specialists and our dedication to our craft.  

News Flow, Media, Mental Health 

During the great wars of the 20th century, citizens had to wait for the daily paper to come along to get any real depth of information. We’ve also seen the pictures of families huddled around the wireless. You could argue that due to propaganda, not all information was accurate, but at least the info stopped there.  

Today, anyone with a cell phone is a reporter and immediate distribution of news has never been easier. Some real events are watched in real time, as if a movie. Some fake events, from other times not even tied to the event, are sprinkled in between. Source checking, something that should be compulsory, is secondary to getting the first scoop and that criticism goes right down to Aunt Peggy forwarding videos on WhatsApp, let alone actual reporters. The gist being that there is an awful lot out there on its way to hit you and it is essential you have a plan for dealing with it. We need to remind ourselves that these events are completely overwhelming and whether we like it or not, will have an impact on us. We need to look after ourselves and those around us.  

ARI FLEISCHER, FORMER WHITE HOUSE SECRETARY, COMMENTING ON 9/11:
"The amount of information that is wrong during a moment of crisis, when the filters are down and people let information through just in case, is staggering." 

We don’t presume the coming period will be easy. Markets pulled back yesterday and a fresh round of sanctions will ripple through them again today. One of the reasons you work with us is the knowledge that there are 100s of eyes monitoring your setup, so that you don’t have to, especially in a time like this! 

As always, we are here if you would like to chat or need anything.