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This Is the Job: Volatility, Noise, and Why We're Needed More Than Ever

Another market decline. Another flurry of client grenades into your business. Another round of hand-holding. Nothing new, right?

Except now, every client has a news terminal in their pocket. The moment the market twitches, their phone lights up: "Stock Market Plummets!", "Crash!", "Is this 2008 all over again?" The drama is relentless, the headlines hysterical — and the noise is deafening.

This is the world we advise in now. The genie is out.

Volatility hasn’t changed, it may have even reduced. Human nature hasn’t changed. But the speed and scale of the panic? That’s changed beyond recognition. A routine correction now gets the same airtime a financial crisis did 15 years ago. No wonder clients are on edge — they’re being bombarded with fear 24/7.

And here’s the truth: some people just can’t think clearly in times of stress. You find out who they are when the market drops 5%. Suddenly, they’re quoting TikTok finfluencers and wondering if gold bars are the answer. Training doesn’t prepare you for combat. You can talk about risk tolerance, asset allocations, and expected declines in a calm meeting room all day — it means nothing if they crumble under pressure.

That’s where we come in.

We can’t wait for clients to call us in a panic. We must be on the front foot — reaching out, educating, and grounding them. Our job isn’t to avoid volatility. It’s to help clients live with it. Declines aren’t a bug in the system; they’re the system. Markets fall every year. Sometimes hard. Always temporarily.

We tell clients to stay the course, but that only works if we believe in the plan we built on day one, and they trust us when it matters.

The reality is this: most of our value isn’t found in clever portfolio tweaks or perfect timing. It’s in being the voice of reason when the world goes nuts. This is behavioural coaching. This is combat. This is when we earn our fee.

Plans built properly should expect the unexpected. We don’t know what will cause the next dip, but we know it’s coming. Because that’s what markets do. So, we plan for it.

The problem isn’t the market. It’s the noise. It is emotion dressed up as insight.

In a world addicted to panic, clients don’t need more data, they need more direction.

This is the job.

📰 Articles & Blogs

21 Client Questions for Building Relationships [10 minutes]. Uncover the profound insights of Nietzsche.

Inspired Discovery: Asking Vision Questions To Focus On Clients’ “Ideal Self” [17 minutes]. Connect your clients' dreams with actionable strategies for their ideal future.

The Price of Peace [5 minutes]. Why diversification is difficult, but necessary.

Who Are You Listening To? [5 minutes]. Emotional reactions can lead to regrettable decisions.

Good Listening = Curiosity + Restraint [4 minutes]. Exploring the powerful combination that can transform your conversations.

The Power Of Follow-Up Questions [18 minutes]. It not only helps gather important client information but also enhances rapport and likability.

🎧 Podcasts

TRAP 69 - The Couples Conundrum [101 minutes]. The TRAP pack discusses how best to deal with couples.

A 4-Step Framework To Guide Anxious Clients Through Uncertain Markets [50 minutes]. Clients' perspectives and properly used graphs can be helpful.

📚 Book Recommendations

Revenge of the Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. What if the very forces that once sparked positive change are now quietly reshaping our world in dangerous ways?

🖼️ Visuals

Ranked: Top Countries by Stock Market Returns Since 2015

Visualized: Population vs. GDP by Global Region

Ranked: Top Countries by Stock Market Ownership

🍿 Videos

Successful Succession - An Ongoing Journey

At the Humans Under Management South Africa 2024 conference, Reg Thomson and Adam Bacher presented on the challenges and strategies of succession planning in financial advisory practices.