Not Taking On Any Risk Is A Risk And Could Impact Your Future, LFG Daily - January 7, 2026

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Luke Lloyd, CEO Lloyd Financial Group

The Market Isn’t Risky. Ignoring It Is.

When people tell me they’re “afraid of the market,” I get it.Markets go up. Markets go down.

Headlines scream. Numbers move.

That feels risky.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth most people never hear:

The market isn’t the biggest risk to your financial future. Ignoring it is.

The Illusion of Safety

For most people, “playing it safe” means holding cash, parking money in low-yield accounts, or avoiding investing altogether.

It feels responsible. Conservative. Prudent.

But safety is often an illusion.

Cash doesn’t just sit there—it quietly loses purchasing power every single year. Inflation may not make headlines like a market crash, but it erodes wealth far more consistently and far more predictably.

You don’t wake up one day and realize inflation hit you.You just notice groceries cost more.

Insurance costs more. College costs more. Retirement costs a lot more.

That’s not market risk.That’s certainty.

Volatility Is Not the Enemy

Volatility gets confused with risk all the time.

They’re not the same.

Volatility is movement. Noise. Emotion.Risk is the probability of not achieving your goals.

If you have a 20–30 year time horizon and you’re not investing, the real risk isn’t that markets fluctuate—it’s that your money doesn’t grow fast enough to keep up with the life you want to live.

Historically, markets have rewarded patience, discipline, and time.They’ve punished fear, emotion, and inaction.

The biggest losses I’ve seen over my career didn’t come from market crashes.

They came from people who sat on the sidelines waiting for “clarity.”

Clarity rarely comes. Inflation always does.

The Biggest Risk of All: Not Taking One

Here’s the paradox most people struggle with:

Not taking risk is itself a risk.

Choosing not to invest isn’t a neutral decision—it’s an active one. You’re deciding to accept lower long-term growth, lower future purchasing power, and fewer options later in life.

And the younger you are, the more dangerous that decision becomes.

Time is the most powerful asset you’ll ever have in investing. When you’re young, your biggest advantage isn’t money—it’s time and recovery ability.

You can afford volatility.You can afford mistakes.You can afford market cycles.

What you can’t afford is missing decades of compounding because fear kept you frozen.

Risk Changes As You Age — And It Should

Now let’s be clear: this isn’t a “go all-in forever” argument.

Risk is not static.It should evolve as your life evolves.

When you’re younger:

• Income is growing

• Time horizons are long

• Recovery windows are wide

  
  

Taking calculated market risk is not reckless—it’s rational.

As you age:

• Time horizons shorten

• Capital preservation matters more

• Income replacement becomes the priority

  
  

At that stage, the definition of risk changes. Volatility matters more. Drawdowns matter more. Stability matters more.

Good financial planning reduces risk over time—not because markets get scarier, but because your margin for error narrows.

The mistake isn’t taking risk when you’re young.The mistake is never adjusting it later.

Planning Turns Risk Into Strategy

This is where real financial planning separates itself from guessing.

Risk without a plan is gambling.Risk with a plan is strategy.

A proper plan answers questions like:

• How much risk do you actually need to take?

• When should risk be reduced?

• Where should stability come from?

• How do taxes change the equation?

• How do life events alter the timeline?

  
  

The goal isn’t to “beat the market.”The goal is to fund your life with confidence.

The Real Question to Ask

Instead of asking, “Is the market risky?”Ask a better question:

What happens if I don’t participate?

• What happens to my purchasing power?

• What happens to my retirement timeline?

• What happens to my options later in life?

• What happens to my family if I play defense forever?

  
  

For most people, the answers are far riskier than a red day in the market.

Final Thought

Markets will always fluctuate.Fear will always have a microphone.Doing nothing will always feel comfortable.

But comfort today often creates anxiety tomorrow.

The market isn’t risky.Ignoring it is.

The key isn’t avoiding risk—it’s understanding it, managing it, and adjusting it as life changes.

That’s how wealth is built.That’s how freedom is protected.

Don’t leave your financial future up to chance. Let’s build a plan that gives you confidence today and peace of mind for tomorrow. Click here to schedule a meeting — I’m here to help you take the next step toward financial freedom.

Colin Symons, CIO Lloyd Financial Group

Composite PMI was 52.7 vs. exp. 53, with weaker Services driving the mix.

No big deal.

Trump said Venezuela will be handing over 30-50MM barrels of oil over to the US, probably helping send oil down -4%.

Among the many announcements NVDA had at CES, their self-driving announcement sent TSLA down -4%.

HVAC stocks also fell after NVDA said their new chips won’t have such great cooling needs.

A generally broad rally, yesterday, with equal-weight SPX (RSP) and the Russell 2000 (IWM) outperforming.

ISM Services, factory orders, ADP Employment, and JOLTS, today. With job concerns, JOLTS will get attention.

The Supreme Court set Friday as a potential tariff decision day, Grab your popcorn! For what it’s worth, considering a tariff is effectively a tax, news seems more likely positive than negative, to me.

What does it all mean? Markets are awaiting jobs data in the rest of the week while stocks pause near ATHs.

Don’t leave your financial future up to chance. Let’s build a plan that gives you confidence today and peace of mind for tomorrow. Click here to schedule a meeting — I’m here to help you take the next step toward financial freedom.

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