Understanding the Emotions Caused by Market Volatility

Admin Roundtable Response - A Tax Season Recap

Latest We Care Roberson Video - Inside Look at Upcoming Renovations!

Understanding the Emotions Caused by Market Volatility – Brad Eaton, Sr. VP Investment Services

Investing in the Future: Mentoring the Next Generation – Steve Campbell, Sr. Marketing Director

Team News - Jessica Blake Named Manager of Tax Planning

In this episode of Your Two Cents, hosts Mae, Tonya, and Matt gather for a post-tax season recap filled with gratitude, insights, and updates.

Tonya kicks things off with heartfelt shout-outs to the entire team – from planners to operations and admin - for their dedication and hard work.

Matt shares his expanded role this season, acting as a key liaison between clients, planners, and the tax prep team.

Mae rounds things out by highlighting improvements made to the document-sharing system and communication practices, emphasizing a commitment to client experience.

Latest We Care Roberson Video 

Here’s an inside Look at Upcoming Renovations!

Brad Eaton, Senior Vice President, Investment Services

It goes without saying that the stock market will periodically experience periods of volatility. It’s impossible to predict, with any certainty, when it will happen, or to what degree. But we know it will happen...eventually. And it’s our responsibility to help prepare our clients for this inevitability, as market volatility brings with it feelings of fear and anxiety for many investors.

Earlier this year I met with a client for a routine review of their investments. The markets were already beginning to show signs of weakness due to the new presidential administration’s tariff proposals, and the client expressed concerns that the markets would “tank” due to the new administration’s policies. He feared that “things would be different” this time, and he wondered if the damage to the stock market would simply be too much to ever recover.

Like many people, this particular client pays a great deal of attention to the news, and his views on the world are largely influenced by what he sees, reads and hears on a daily basis. And with all the negative news recently, it’s easy to become concerned about the potential impact of these issues on the markets.

He asked whether it would make sense to sell his investments to avoid any further losses and then get back into the market when things recovered. He felt that by then, he would feel more comfortable about investing.

I first reassured him by pointing out that market corrections are not unusual. In fact, they are very normal…and necessary from time to time to maintain the long-term health of the market.

While the circumstances creating this market correction may not be exactly the same as those in the past, the trends are often very similar. As such, it’s important to understand what’s driving the sell-off. This helps in bringing perspective to the volatility, and it enables the investor to tune out the “noise” created by the media. We spent time discussing this, as well as why we believe that market downturns provide opportunities for investors to buy high quality investments at discounted prices.

We also talked through his question about selling investments in order to avoid further losses. I asked at what point he would be comfortable getting back into the market. While he couldn’t say specifically, he indicated that it would be once the market had sufficiently recovered and when he felt better about the state of the economy and our country in general.

Given his response, we then talked through a hypothetical example of the potential financial impact of selling his investments at a time when the market was down, only to re-purchase them once he felt comfortable again. He quickly realized that this idea amounted to selling low and buying high…contradicting the underlying reason for investing.

I also reminded him that his investment strategy was designed with a long-term time horizon in mind, and that it accounted for periods of volatility along the way. He confirmed that his time horizon had not changed and that there was no near-term need to withdraw funds from his accounts.

By the end of our conversation, it was clear that he was feeling much more at ease. He felt better having had the opportunity to talk through his concerns, and from receiving some reassurance that short-term market volatility should not dictate change to his long-term strategy.

Steve Campbell, Senior Marketing Director 

At S.E.E.D., we believe investing goes far beyond stocks and bonds — some of our most meaningful investments are in people. For the past three years, we’ve proudly partnered with the New Visions Program through BOCES, a highly competitive and academically rigorous opportunity for college-bound high school seniors interested in careers in business, health, engineering, law, or government.

Once selected, New Visions students are placed with local organizations to gain real-world experience, working alongside professionals and participating in hands-on learning. This year, we were honored to host five outstanding students from Vestal, Whitney Point, Endwell, and Windsor High Schools — all with a keen interest in business and finance.

One of our guiding principles at S.E.E.D. is, “When we show up, we show up.” True to that, we designed an immersive experience for our students that included a series of specialized workshops led by our team:

• Dave Nirchi, Chief Operating Officer – Business Strategy & Management

• Kerstin Driscoll Witt, Senior Retirement Plan Navigator – Retirement Plans & Financial Education

• Emmy Shafer, Senior Manager, Admin & Operations – S.E.E.D. Administrative & Operational Insight

• Steve Campbell, Senior Marketing Director – Marketing & Business Development

• Jeff Chase, Senior Vice President, Financial Planning – Financial Planning in Practice

• Brad Eaton, Senior Vice President, Investment Services – Vision & Strategy in Investment Management

Our aim wasn’t just to teach them about S.E.E.D., but to help them learn more about themselves — to challenge their thinking, expose them to diverse perspectives, and show them how meaningful it is to work in a place where culture, purpose, and impact matter.

Today’s students face challenges unlike those of any generation before them. They need role models who speak truth, demonstrate integrity, and offer a real look at what a purpose-driven career looks like. We’re grateful to be a trusted placement site for the New Visions Program and do not take that responsibility lightly.

We proudly announce that Jessica Blake, a Senior Wealth Manager and Certified Trust & Fiduciary Advisor (CTFA), has been named Manager of Tax Planning.

In this role, Jessica will lead our Smart Planning tax planning services within the Financial Planning Division, delivering strategic and proactive tax planning tailored to our clients’ needs, while also managing the moving parts of tax season.

Jeff Chase, Senior Vice President of Financial Planning, remarked, “Jessica has done a fantastic job in her previous role as Manager of Financial Planning Education. I’m confident she will bring the same level of expertise and commitment to her new role, and we’re excited to see the impact she’ll make in this next chapter.”

Jessica joined the firm in 2022 and became a member of S.E.E.D.’s leadership team earlier this year.