The Financial Planning Lessons I Learned Playing Baseball, LFG Daily - January 12, 2026

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Luke Lloyd, CEO Lloyd Financial Group

The Financial Planning Lessons I Learned Playing Baseball

(From a Knuckleballer Who Never Fit the Mold)

I wasn’t your typical pitcher.

While everyone else was throwing 95 with wicked sliders, I was the guy floating a knuckleball up there like a butterfly with an identity crisis. No spin. No predictability. Sometimes it danced. Sometimes it embarrassed hitters. Sometimes it embarrassed me.

But one thing was certain: I was different.

I wasn’t the biggest.

I wasn’t the hardest thrower.

I wasn’t the “sure thing” prospect.

I was the underdog.

And honestly? That shaped everything I do today in financial planning.

Being Different Is a Competitive Advantage

In baseball, the knuckleball messes with hitters because it doesn’t behave like everything else.

No clean rotation.

No predictable break.

Just chaos.

Most hitters hated facing it.

Why?

Because they trained their entire life for fastballs and breaking balls.

Not something weird.

Not something unconventional.

Sound familiar?

Most people are trained to think about money the same way:

• Max your 401(k)

• Buy index funds

• Retire at 65

• Hope the system works

That’s the “fastball down the middle” of financial advice.

But just like baseball, what works for the masses doesn’t always win championships.

Sometimes, you need a knuckleball.

The Underdog Mentality

As a knuckleballer, you live with doubt:

“Does this really work?”

“Is this sustainable?”

“Am I crazy for not throwing like everyone else?”

Financial planning is the same way.

I work with people who:

• Don’t trust Wall Street

• Don’t want cookie-cutter advice

• Question the system

• Want to build wealth their way

They’re underdogs too.

Not because they’re behind.

But because they refuse to follow the herd.

And that’s where the real advantage is.

Control What You Can Control

In baseball, I couldn’t control:

• The umpire

• The weather

• The hitter’s approach

But I could control:

• My preparation

• My mindset

• My mechanics

• My discipline

Money is no different.

You can’t control:

• Markets

• Politics

• Interest rates

• Inflation

But you can control:

• Your savings rate

• Your spending habits

• Your tax strategy

• Your long-term plan

Winners focus on controllables.

Embrace the Weird

Knuckleballers don’t get love.

We don’t get the highlight reels.

We don’t get the hype.

But when it works?

It dominates.

Same with financial planning:

• Being debt-free is “boring”

• Owning cash flow assets isn’t sexy

• Tax planning doesn’t trend on TikTok

• Discipline isn’t viral

But it wins.

Flash doesn’t build wealth.Consistency does.

Don’t Try to Throw 100 If You’re Built for 75

I was never going to be a flamethrower.

So I stopped trying to be one.

The second I embraced my game, everything changed.

Financial lesson?

Stop trying to:

• Keep up with your neighbors

• Copy TikTok investors

• Trade options because your buddy did

• Chase whatever CNBC is pumping today

Play your game.

Your income.

Your goals.

Your risk tolerance.

Your timeline.

That’s how you win long-term.

The Knuckleball Strategy for Money

Here’s the truth:

Being different is uncomfortable.Being an underdog is lonely.Going against the grain gets criticism.

But it also creates:

• Freedom

• Confidence

• Control

• Independence

Just like the knuckleball, your financial plan shouldn’t look like everyone else’s.

It should look like YOU.

I learned early that I’d never be the guy everyone expected.

And that was my edge.

In baseball.

In business.

In life.

In financial planning.

If you feel like:

• You don’t fit the mold

• You question the system

• You want something different

• You’re tired of cookie-cutter advice

Good.

Underdogs win.

And sometimes…the weird pitch is the one nobody can hit.

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

There’s a lot of talk about the job market, lately, with a variety of takes. I guess I’ll throw my hat into the ring, as well. What should we think about the job market? Briefly, I think it’s fairly complicated.

In general, the low-hire, low-fire job market continues. Thinking about the implications of that, it’s not a great time to be looking for a new job, particularly if you’re coming out of college and looking for that first job. Hiring is weak. If you have a job, though, companies have been reluctant to fire en masse, so you stand a good chance of holding on to that job, so far.

Some other details are that we’ve seen a lot of government hiring and not much corporate hiring. We’re even starting to see wage gains slow down for corporate workers. We also saw an increase in long-term unemployment, along with a shrinking workforce. Those details show the job train has been slowing down.

The recent job report wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t very good. While the details are complicated, the overall trend in payrolls, below, is actually a reasonable summary of what’s going on. We aren’t actively losing jobs, but the pace is slowing. We’re also seeing concerning details, like less private hiring and less wage growth. The job market isn’t in trouble yet, but that’s the direction we’re heading. That can change, but the trend is concerning, eventually.

Pulling back and looking at a wider away of economic data, the economy itself continues to look pretty good, with the outlook improving. A lot of that, to be honest, is in revisions. Ex-jobs, economic revisions showed everything was better than initial estimates claimed. While the long-term trends are concerning, in the short-term there’s still no sign of imminent trouble.

How does the future look? Basic momentum would tell you we look pretty good, right now, and even more recent job market data is more encouraging than not. In theory, this can go on for a while. Can we pull off enough growth to keep the economy and market going? We’re certainly trying, with lower rates, freeing up bank capital, minor stimulations like buying mortgage bonds, and so on.

Ultimately, I can see why people are concerned. There are storm clouds out there, as employment, retail sales, and more are signaling a concerning trend. However, we also have a stream of stimulus to keep markets going and there’s room for that impulse to grow. The road behind us is littered with the bodies of those who called for a recession and crash. At some point, calling for real trouble will be a good call, but for now, too much can still go right.

Payrolls grew by 50K vs. exp. 60K, with more downward revisions, while the unemployment rate went down to 4.4%. Slow motion slowdown continues, and I think you’re seeing the effect of a shrinking workforce, with payrolls soft and unemployment strong. Construction lost 52K jobs, which isn’t a great look. Will this become a problem in coming months?

Japan’s PM Takaichi talked about dissolving the House of Representatives, sending the yen plunging and causing some chaos. Honestly, this was probably a bigger driver on Friday than payrolls, as it’s basically promising more liquidity.

Trump talked about limiting credit card interest to 10%. OK, but that’s an awfully low rate, so you’re just making it so no one will lend, if they can help it, at least not to lower-quality customers. Banks and credit card companies are down on the news, with COF -10% and V -2%.

The DOJ launched a criminal probe on Fed head Jerome Powell for lying under oath in testimony over their renovation. This caused the dollar, stocks, and bonds to drop, though Powell is set to lose the Chair this summer anyway, but could be intended to pressure him to leave the board afterward, which is common practice. If you view this as a debasement trade, everything denominated in dollars should go up (except bonds,) but right now it’s acting like a volatility event. Gold and silver are up, however.

Two Fed speeches today, with CPI, tomorrow, the big report of the week. Worth nothing bank earnings start tomorrow morning, and I’d expect solid numbers.

What does it all mean? Lots of volatility bombs out there today, but they may be relatively short-term in nature. Meanwhile, economic growth is growing.

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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