☕️ What the smart money knows about days like today

Howdy! 👋 

The markets are rocky in early going which, given yesterday’s trading, isn’t unexpected nor is it unusual. 

Textbook normal, in fact. 

Normal enough that I don’t see anything that strikes me as a particularly juicy trade or a new entry on long-standing investments as I look at my screens this morning in the early going.  

So I’m going to take an early exit and call it good with my last M5 of the year. 

I encourage you to do the same thing. 

Here’s why. 

Many folks get into serious trouble by “pushing” trades – meaning forcing ‘em – because they feel like they’ve got to do “something” when oftentimes doing “nothing” is quite literally the more profitable choice. 

I know. 

Like many people, I’ve walked a mile in those boots and, thankfully, learned the lesson I am about to share with you the hard way. 

Social scientists say that people fear losses more acutely than they celebrate gains or the pleasure that comes from winning. Predictably, they confuse action with relief even when the math, the probabilities and the markets say to stand aside like they do today. 

I think it’s simpler than that, though. 

My experience is that the push to do something even when you shouldn’t comes down to one of two things… fear or greed.  

That’s a monster problem when it comes to investing. 

Half-baked ideas rarely – if ever – turn into fully baked profits. 

The real path to success – and the one you want to be on – in today’s complicated markets is based on two very simple, very powerful principles that you hear me talk about frequently: 

1. Buying the world’s best companies – particularly those making “must have” products and services – when nobody else wants ‘em and selling when others can’t resist buying; and, 
2. Keeping risk as low as possible by using simple, effective and proven tactics that help keep you and your money on track by eliminating emotion AND maximizing profit potential at the same time. 

I cannot stress how important it is to get comfortable with the simplicity of what I am saying. 

People want to believe investing is complicated to work but that’s simply not true. Worse it plays right into Wall Street’s hands, not yours. 

Buying stocks without knowing how they “fit” in your portfolio – which is what a lot of folks do - and without specific objectives is like driving without knowing where you are going.  

A mentor of mine sarcastically nicknamed this type of behaviour the Christopher Columbus School of Navigation – meaning you’ll wind up somewhere with no idea how you got there, no idea where you’ve been and no idea how to get back “home.” 

What you need is deceptively simple… the confidence that you’re on the right track, that you own the right companies and a breakdown of how to pursue both. 

That’s why I’ve always believed that anybody can be wildly successful in the markets when armed with the right knowledge, education, and perspective. 

The best way to get results is to invest consistently.  

And all you need to do that is a proven system and a systematic approach... one that lines up profit potential based on the world’s best companies, not Wall Street’s whims, the Fed’s follies, politics, clickbait masquerading as investment research or anything else floating around in social media. 

That’s how you maximize your profit potential despite the inevitable corrections, pullbacks, downturns – whatever you want to call ‘em – ahead. 

The way I see it, you are what you focus on in life and in the financial markets. And if you’re constantly scared, your portfolio will reflect that. 

If you’re worried about not making a mistake and sitting at the crossroads doing nothing, then you’ve already made the biggest mistake of all. The world will leave you and your money behind. 

But if you focus on consistently buying the world’s best companies ... companies that are changing the world ... companies where customers can’t get enough of what they make or sell... companies that often pay huge dividends and have fortress-like balance sheets... guess what?  

Suddenly, you’ll be thinking about winning, about profits, and about investing in optimism.  

You'll gladly take that $10 you would have spent buying a double triple cuppa of whatever at your local coffee stand and invest it. 

You’ll have 100% control over the approach you take – and that’s where the game is won. We can’t control the world around us, but we CAN control the world within and the choices we make. 

Investing is only a struggle if you make it that way. 

My hope as we head into 2026 is that you’re willing and ready to focus on where the world is going and the life-changing profit potential that is being created as that happens. 

Ask what you want to accomplish and where you want to be instead of what you’re afraid of. 

There will be more profits created in the next 10 years than the last 50 combined. 

And btw, if you’d like some help charting a path forward, I’ll be here if you need me. People regularly tell me that what they have learned by being part of the One Bar Ahead® Family has transformed their lives, their investing and the confidence they need to tackle both. 

Thank you for another incredible year together – it’s an honour and a privilege. 

See ya in 2026! 🎉 😄 

As always, let’s MAKE it a great day and, while we’re at it, finish the year strong. 

You got this – I promise! 

Keith 😀