You Don't Own Your Own Money, LFG Daily - December 22, 2025

Dream Bigger, Sleep Better

At Lloyd Financial Group, we’re constantly striving to give you more insight, more clarity, and more confidence when it comes to your money. Our Chief Investment Officer, Colin Symons, now delivers his own daily newsletter, offering deep analysis and a detailed outlook on the ever-changing investment world called Symons Says. Check it out and subscribe if you want a very detailed, daily analysis of the investment world. Colin has amazing content.

Meanwhile, the LFG Daily will continue to bring you quick, actionable summaries — blending market updates with financial planning and tax strategies to help you make smarter decisions every day. Together, they’re the perfect one-two punch: Colin brings the deep dive into Investments, we bring the daily edge.

Luke Lloyd, CEO Lloyd Financial Group

Your 401(k) Isn’t Broken — But It Isn’t Fully Yours Either

Let me say this up front, before the internet gets emotional:

I am not saying you should stop contributing to your 401(k).I am not anti-401(k).

And I am definitely not saying to give up employer matches (that’s free money — take it).

What I am saying is this:

A 401(k) is a great place to accumulate money.An IRA is a far better place to control it.

And those two things are not the same.

The 401(k) Works… Until You Actually Need Flexibility

For most people, the 401(k) is their largest asset outside their home. Yet very few understand how much control they’ve quietly given up.

In a 401(k):

• Your employer sponsors the plan

• A committee decides what investments you’re allowed to use

• A third-party administrator sets the rules

• You operate inside those guardrails

• 
  

You don’t pick the playing field. You just play on it.

When markets are calm, this doesn’t feel like a problem.When markets get chaotic — that’s when the fine print matters.

A Quick History Lesson: 2008 Didn’t Care About Your Login

During the 2008 financial crisis, a lot of investors discovered something uncomfortable:

They had balances… but not control.

• Trading delays were common as custodians struggled with volume

• Some plans temporarily restricted reallocations

• Loans and hardship withdrawals slowed or stopped

• Employers adjusted plan rules to protect the plan itself

• 
  

Could people eventually access their money? Sure.Could they access it when fear was highest and decisions mattered most? Often, no.

Markets move in minutes.401(k) systems move on committee timelines.

That gap matters.

This Is Why Control Is a Planning Issue — Not a Performance One

This conversation isn’t about beating the market or day trading retirement funds.

It’s about ownership.

A financial plan should account for:

• Market risk

• Inflation risk

• Tax risk

• Structural risk

• 
  

Structural risk is the risk that someone else has authority over your capital when conditions deteriorate.

That risk exists in every employer-sponsored plan.

Why IRAs Are Different (and Why I Prefer Them When Possible)

An IRA is simple, and that’s the beauty of it.

With an IRA:

• You choose the custodian

• You choose the investments

• You rebalance when you decide

• You aren’t asking HR for permission

  
  

No investment committee.

No limited menu.

No employer involvement.

It’s your account — in practice, not just on paper.

So When Do I Usually Recommend Rolling a 401(k) to an IRA?

This is the nuance that gets lost online.

I generally suggest exploring a rollover when:

• You leave an employer

• You’re over age 59½ and eligible for in-service rollovers

• You have a clear opportunity to consolidate old plans

  
  

Again — this is not about abandoning the 401(k) system.

It’s about transitioning money from a restricted environment into one built around flexibility, planning, and control.

Think of the 401(k) like a savings engine.Think of the IRA like a control center.

The Goal Isn’t Less Discipline — It’s More Intentional Planning

People hear “more control” and assume “more risk.”

That’s backwards.

Control allows:

• Better tax coordination

• More precise risk management

• Smarter income planning

• Cleaner estate strategies

It allows your retirement plan to evolve as your life evolves — not as your employer allows.

The Question Every Investor Should Ask

Before asking:

“How’s my 401(k) doing?”

Ask:

“If markets break, who decides what I can do?”

Because retirement planning isn’t just about balances and benchmarks.

It’s about freedom, flexibility, and not needing permission to manage your own future.

A 401(k) is a great start.An IRA is often the grown-up version.

And knowing when to make that transition is real financial planning.

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

To me, the news of the week was the change in fortunes in the AI trade after OpenAI announced a plan to sell a part of their company to sovereign wealth funds at a higher valuation than the previous round. This really put a bid in an area of the market that had been selling off as immediate capital expenditures (capex) was overshadowing long-term potential. Maybe the AI trade isn’t done, after all?

I sure think that’s true. To me, the selling seemed way more systematic than fundamental in nature, and that can get messy fast given high valuations and varying liquidity. For what it’s worth, the theoretical Santa Claus rally is the last five trading days of the year and the first two of the new year. That would have Santa come on the 24th and leave on the 5th of January. We’re inches from strong seasonality and systematic selling has created healthier positioning.

In addition to the OpenAI announcement, it likely helps that the TikTok saga seems resolved, with Oracle (ORCL) owning a piece of the entity. Oracle was a locus of the recent fears, and that good news lifted them almost 7%.

So it’s said, I understand the outrage over the recent inflation data and admit the CPI inflation numbers were questionable because they seem to be lacking data, but I think they’re directionally right. For instance, corroborating data like Truflation also shows a slowing trend for inflation. The market has also been pricing in disinflation for a while, now.

Particularly assuming we have, in fact, passed peak AI-fears, we seem to be looking pretty constructive for a while, with volatility relaxing and liquidity coming into the market. How long can that positivity last? Until something breaks, which is something I’ll talk about more, tomorrow.

Like I said last week, to me, the big question right now isn’t if you want to invest, but where. Of course, that idea can be wrong but to we crossed some concerns and should have more time to recover from that. I continue to think recently hit areas, such as AI and crypto, likely have the best return potential.

Again, for how long can we have this bullish stance? I think that’s very hard to say. I’m leaning fairly bullish until something bad happens or the market gets more constructive. If I had to guess, I’d say at some point in the first quarter of next year I’ll want to get more cautious to one extent or another, but we’ll have to see.

The US seized a third Venezuela oil tanker, helping send oil up 1.5%.

The BOJ indicated they don’t like the continued selling in the yen, making intervention seem quite possible.

China imported no soybeans from the US for a third straight month as buyers turned to S. America amid fears of the trade war dragging on.

British savings went down due to a rise in taxes.

The Fed’s Hammack said rates should be held steady into spring, as November inflation is likely understated.

I think Core PCE is getting reported today, but I also thought that on Friday. Someday, we’ll just get back to a normal schedule.

What does it all mean? Should be a quiet week, but the AI and crypto markets continue to heal.

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.

Disclosures/Regulation:

This content is intended to provide general information about Lloyd Financial. It is not intended to offer or deliver investment advice in any way. Information regarding investment services are provided solely to gain an understanding of our investment philosophy, our strategies and to be able to contact us for further information.

All information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but its accuracy is not guaranteed. There is no representation or warranty as to the current accuracy, reliability or completeness of, nor liability for, decisions based on such information and it should not be relied on as such.

The views expressed in this commentary are subject to change based on market and other conditions. These documents may contain certain statements that may be deemed forward‐looking statements. Please note that any such statements are not guarantees of any future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected. Any projections, market outlooks, or estimates are based upon certain assumptions and should not be construed as indicative of actual events that will occur.

Past performance is no guarantee of future returns.

Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk. Therefore, it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy will be profitable