stock market volatility | WWM Financial

Why You Should Not Let the Mainstream Media Affect Your Money

Jun 5, 2025

In this episode of the WWM Podcast, we dive into the latest movements in indexes, CDs, and bonds, and explain what they could mean for your portfolio. We explore the rising influence of negative media narratives and why smart investors should avoid making knee-jerk decisions based on headlines. With potential Federal Reserve rate cuts on the horizon, we discuss proactive financial strategies—like reviewing your estate plan, updating your will, adjusting your budget, and reassessing your tax withholdings—to help keep your long-term plan on track. Our advisers also unpack Senator Rand Paul’s recent warnings about the growing national debt and explore how fiscal policy and market shifts could shape the future of wealth preservation. If you’re looking to stay informed and strategic in a rapidly changing environment, this episode is packed with the insight you need.

If you want to understand what’s going on in the economy, get better insight into the financial markets, and separate the sound from the noise so you can make good financial decisions, tune in now!

Date Recorded: 6/5/2025

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Disclosure:

WWM Financial is an SEC Registered Investment Advisor

The opinions expressed in this program are for general informational purposes only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual or on any specific security. It is only intended to provide education about the financial industry and how we may be able to assist. To determine which investments may be appropriate for you, consult your financial advisor prior to investing. Any past performance discussed during this program is no guarantee of future results. As always please remember investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital. Tax considerations presented may not be appropriate every individual circumstance. A tax professional should be consulted before making any decisions about your tax liability. wwmfinancial.com | 760.692.5190

Surviving Stock Market Volatility

Oct 22, 2019

Click on the image above to view this Savvy Minute video.

Poetry & Emotion

Feb 16, 2018

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL POETRY

This is the inaugural episode of our “Certified Financial Poetry” series.

Click on the image above to watch the video of Steve’s first reading.

Poetry and Emotion

by Steve Wolff

What a difference a week can make,
With the market’s give and the market’s take,
Last week investors were all in a tizzy,
Market volatility made them Maalox dizzy.
Down 3, down 6, down 10 percent, wow!
Is this the big break of the index called Dow?

A feeling crept in, it felt somewhat manic,
As we sat on the edge of a slight bit of panic,
Should I buy?, should I sell? What should I do?
It seems all my stocks have contracted the flu.

But here we are now, just 7 days hence,
We’ve made back some dollars and most of our cents,
Emotions can take us in all sorts of directions,
Especially when it comes to unfriendly corrections.

I’m reminded of wisdom by Alfred E. Newman,
From Mad Magazine, he shines a bright lumen,
When adrenaline pumps through your body so strong
The decisions you make will most likely be wrong,
So always stay calm and don’t be in a hurry,
And as Alfred once stated, “What, me worry?”

Steve Wolff is a Financial Advisor and Managing Partner at WWM Financial in Carlsbad California.

He can be reached at 760-692-5190

www.wwmfinancial.com

What’s Behind the Market Decline

Feb 9, 2018

What’s Behind the Market Decline

Click on image above for video

By Steve Wolff

Now for the understatement of the day…volatility has returned to the stock market.

Why has the stock market gone down with such force in the last week? I think there are a few reasons.

Profit taking. Stocks had run up extremely quickly over the last year or so, especially in January when the indices were up by around 8%. So it is normal for profit taking to occur.

Rising interest rates. Some investors have been spooked by the rise in interest rates. The 10-year government bond has risen to around 2.9%. They also believe the Federal Reserve is going to raise rates 3 or 4 times this year. When interest rate on bonds get high enough, they are competition for money that is now in the stock market. So the people who worry about this decided to sell some of their stocks.

Forced Selling. Perhaps the main reason for the stock market dive has been caused by hedge funds and others who invested in something called the VelocityShares Daily Inverse VIX Short Term Exchange Traded Note (and other securities like it). It is a security that bets on the volatility of the stock market. This is a highly leveraged security that is great when there is no volatility in the market.

Unfortunately, the spike in volatility in the market has caused some of these Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs) to nosedive by as much as 80%. Because they are leveraged, the hedge funds and other investors were losing a fortune and had to cover their margin calls. How do they raise money to cover the margin? They sell stocks that they own. This is what’s known as forced selling and it is happening in spades.

Are We in A Bear Market?

Does this indicate the start of a bear market? I don’t think so because the earnings that companies just reported were pretty good. Nothing has changed with the economy in the last week, just the price of stocks.

We might be in for a few more days of this until the forced selling abates. I do not believe this is the time to do any wholesale selling because the economy is still good. The tax cuts haven’t even started to kick in yet.

The advice from us is to sit tight, stay calm and if you have the cash be ready to gobble up some good stocks that continue to be forced lower.

As always, we are here for you, so if you have any questions, do not be afraid to contact us.

You can reach us at 760-692-5190 or Steve@WWMFinancial.com