How to Handle Market Volatility: Investment Advisor Insights
The silver market just saw its largest single-day volume spike in months. If you’ve been watching your portfolio lately, you’ve probably felt your stomach drop at least once. Market volatility has returned with force, and with it comes something far more dangerous than price swings: emotional decision-making. The good news? Understanding these patterns is the first step to avoiding them.
Your Brain Wasn’t Built for This
When you see a 10% swing in silver or watch your portfolio gyrate, your brain triggers the same fight-or-flight response our ancestors used to escape predators. The problem is that running from a bear makes sense. Running from market volatility usually doesn’t.
I’ve seen it hundreds of times. An investor with a solid long-term strategy suddenly abandons it because of one bad week. They sell at the bottom, buy back at the top, and then wonder why they underperform. Research backs this up. A landmark study found that individual investors who traded most frequently underperformed the market by 6.5% annually, largely because they bought and sold at emotionally driven moments rather than strategic ones.[1]
The Paradox of Control
Here’s what trips up even sophisticated investors: you cannot control market swings, but you can control your response to them. The market doesn’t care about your entry price, your retirement timeline, or how badly you need this trade to work.
When volatility spikes, investors typically make one of two mistakes. They either freeze, unable to execute their strategy because “it might get worse,” or they frantically adjust their plan, tightening stops or exiting positions based on fear rather than strategy. Both responses abandon the disciplined approach that gives you an edge over time.
During my years as an electronic floor broker at the Pacific Stock Exchange, I had a front-row seat to both success and failure. I watched some traders consistently make money while others blew up spectacular accounts. The difference wasn’t intelligence or access to better information. The successful traders had process discipline. They stuck to their methodology regardless of how chaotic the markets became. The ones who failed abandoned their rules the moment pressure mounted.
What Actually Works
The theoretically optimal strategy doesn’t matter if you can’t stick with it psychologically. I tell clients this all the time: your investment approach must account for your actual emotional tolerance, not some idealized version of yourself.
Survival is the foundation of success. Compounding only works if you stay in the game long enough for it to matter. Three bad trades or one panic-driven portfolio liquidation can destroy years of disciplined wealth building. The investors who succeed long-term aren’t necessarily the ones who catch every perfect entry. They’re the ones still investing after the dust settles.
Why Professional Management Matters Most During Volatility
This is exactly when having a disciplined advisor makes the difference. When markets swing violently, emotions run highest. That’s when investors convince themselves to “do something” even when the right move is often to do nothing.
My role during volatile periods is to be the rational voice between you and emotional decisions. I’ve built portfolios with volatility in mind from day one. Position sizing, risk management, and rebalancing strategies are already in place before panic sets in. When silver spikes or drops 10%, I’m not making knee-jerk reactions. I’m executing a plan we established when thinking was clear.
The value of professional management isn’t just portfolio construction. It’s having someone remove the emotional burden of daily market swings. You don’t need to watch every tick, interpret every news headline, or second-guess every position. That’s my job. Your job is to focus on your business, your family, and your life while I focus on disciplined execution.
During my 13 years at Merrill Lynch, I saw the same pattern repeatedly. Clients who stayed engaged with their advisor and trusted the process weathered volatility far better than those who panicked and made changes based on fear. The difference wasn’t better market timing. It was better emotional management.
When you work with an advisor, you’re not just outsourcing investment decisions. You’re outsourcing the psychological burden of market uncertainty. That separation is what allows long-term strategies to actually work over time.
The Real Edge
The current volatility will eventually settle. Markets always do. The question is whether you’ll emerge stronger or weaker. The investors who build lasting wealth aren’t the ones who avoid volatility. They’re the ones who have a dedicated advisor making disciplined decisions while others react emotionally.
If you’re currently managing your own portfolio or working with a platform that leaves you to navigate this volatility alone, now is the time to reconsider. Market turbulence reveals the limitations of DIY investing and robo-advisors. When uncertainty hits, there’s no substitute for a real person who knows your specific situation, your goals, and your risk tolerance.
Schedule a complimentary portfolio review with us today: Treveri Capital. The market won’t wait for you to feel ready. Neither should your decision to work with an advisor who’s focused on your success, not platform fees.
References:
[1] Barber, Brad M., and Terrance Odean. “Trading Is Hazardous to Your Wealth: The Common Stock Investment Performance of Individual Investors.” Journal of Finance 55, no. 2 (2000): 773-806.
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