Joe Shearrer, CPFA® is Vice President and Wealth Advisor at Fervent Wealth Management. Last weekend, I had one of those rounds of golf that didn’t make much sense on paper. Typically, my strength is putting, the part of my game I rely on to save strokes and stay consistent. But this time, it was the opposite. My driver was dialed in, my irons were sharp, and I was giving myself great looks all day. The problem? I couldn’t make a putt. It was a good reminder that performan

There are a lot more individual investors trading than at any time in history.

Joe Shearrer, CPFA® is Vice President and Wealth Advisor at Fervent Wealth Management. Last weekend, I was coaching my kids’ youth baseball team in a tournament. They didn’t play perfect baseball, far from it. There were a few errors and missed opportunities, but they kept showing up each inning, putting the ball in play, getting walked, stealing bases and finding a way to stay in the game. They were resilient. Not dominant. Not flawless. But steady enough to keep moving fo

Dr. Richard Baker, AIF®, is the CEO and executive wealth advisor at Fervent Wealth Management. My dad caught my brother and me having a BB gun war. I hid behind a tractor tire trying to shoot my brother's baseball cap off, and my brother was using his Daisy BB gun to try to give me another cowlick. When Dad came around the corner, there was an immediate ceasefire. Hopefully, the Middle East ceasefire won't be as painful as our BB war. Shortly after news broke about a two-

Here are five reasons why the U.S. economy has been insulated from this current crisis and why U.S. stock markets aren’t overreacting.

That brings us to an interesting market story unfolding this week. While most financial news has been focused on oil prices, another market has been quietly moving in a way that could eventually affect the cost of the food we eat.

Dr. Richard Baker, AIF®, is the CEO and executive wealth advisor at Fervent Wealth Management. First, we pray for the safe return of our service men and women stationed in the Middle East who are taking part in this military operation. Oil Oil prices have surged 14% in the first few days as Iranian strikes on ships around the narrow Strait of Hormuz have driven energy prices into the conflict. Though natural gas prices have stabilized, we have seen concerned investors mov

Dr. Richard Baker, AIF®, is the CEO and executive wealth advisor at Fervent Wealth Management. My personal motto is “consistency, no room for errors,” which drives my kids and wife crazy. I try to find what works and stick with it. I don’t need restaurant menus because I’m going to order the same thing every time. Investors do the same thing. U.S. stocks almost always outperform the global market, so they stick with what works. Well, things are starting to change on that fr

Joe Shearrer, CPFA® is Vice President and Wealth Advisor at Fervent Wealth Management. If you've checked your retirement portfolio lately, you've likely noticed some unsettling red numbers in your technology holdings. Software stocks are experiencing significant selling pressure, with the S&P North American Technology Software Index down roughly 18% this year. For many retirees and near-retirees who hold tech-heavy index funds, this volatility can feel unnerving. But before

There are additional factors that could be contributing to the market's broadening. Investors have their fingers crossed that the Fed will become more cooperative after Chairman Powell's term ends in May.

Joe Shearrer, CPFA® is Vice President and Wealth Advisor at Fervent Wealth Management. This winter has been anything but predictable. In our area, temperatures have swung from the 70s one day to brisk 30s the next, reminding us how quickly conditions can change. Financial markets have shown similar swings recently, keeping investors alert even as overall trends remain intact. After beginning the year at near record levels, U.S. stock markets have begun to move with greate

Stocks had another strong year in 2025, enjoying their third straight year of double-digit returns.

Joe Shearrer, CPFA® is Vice President and Wealth Advisor at Fervent Wealth Management. I’ve been in this business long enough to see investors go through several versions of the Federal Reserve, from crisis fighter to inflation watchdog. What’s different today isn’t just policy; it’s how much uncertainty surrounds it. For years, investors could count on the Federal Reserve to play a familiar role: steady, predictable and largely insulated from politics. When markets stumble

Joe Shearrer, CPFA® is Vice President and Wealth Advisor at Fervent Wealth Management. Every December, as holiday parties fill the calendar and year-end checklists get shorter, the stock market picks up a familiar storyline: the Santa Claus Rally. You’ll hear it mentioned on financial news channels and in market commentaries, usually with a mix of optimism and skepticism. Some investors swear by it. Others dismiss it as folklore. As with most things in investing, the truth

Dr. Richard Baker, AIF®, is the CEO and executive wealth advisor at Fervent Wealth Management. My wife is a little disappointed. We are recent empty-nesters, and for the first time in years, there is no one home to look forward to her Advent calendar full of little notes and candy. Still, her disappointment isn’t anything like the disappointment that Europeans are feeling this winter. For years, European leaders told their citizens that if they went all in on the green en