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Robyn Meredith, CFP® CIM®

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Robyn Meredith

June 27, 2025

Wellness Financial literacy
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Staying Cool in Hot Markets — and What Loyalty Looks Like When It Matters Most

Staying Cool in Hot Markets — and What Loyalty Looks Like When It Matters Most

 

Who is feeling hot?  It’s 42 degrees with the humidity in Ontario and everything feels heavy – the air, the mood and even the markets.

Mid-year in Canada can be relentless – sweltering temperatures outside, economic heat inside portfolios and a general sense of fatigue.  For investors, it’s the season of second-guessing.

Are we still on track?  Is the plan still working?

As a wealth advisor, I’ve learned this is when the real work begins – not in the excitement of market highs, but in the quiet pressure of uncertainty. 

What Hydration Looks Like in a Market Like This.

When conditions get sticky, “hydration” isn’t just about cash.  It’s about staying grounded, resilient and intentional.

We’re at the halfway point of 2025, and volatility is the name of the game.  In fact, volatility is one thing you can count on for the next 3 years.  Inflation has cooled in some sectors, but interest rates are still dragging on fixed income returns.  Equities have been mixed – tech and AI are leading but defensives are flat. 

If your portfolio feels tired, it probably is. That’s not a sign of failure – it’s a sign that we’re in the part of the cycle that test patience more than performance. 

A few truths I return to:

• Stay liquid — Hold enough cash or access to capital to feel flexible, not frantic.

• Don’t overheat — Avoid knee-jerk trades or emotional pivots. Discipline beats drama.

• Fuel wisely — A well-diversified portfolio is like electrolyte water. Boring? Maybe. Effective? Always.

• Rest and recover — Zoom out. Revisit your plan. You don’t have to be “on” all the time to be on track.

But not all hydration is financial.

The Client Who Taught Me What Loyalty Looks Like

A while ago, I had a client — let’s call her S.

She wasn’t the biggest client in terms of dollars, but she showed up in a way that taught me a big lesson. When I joined CIBC Wood Gundy from another firm, not everyone followed. I get it — people hesitate. It’s money. It’s trust. It’s personal.

But she didn’t hesitate. She picked up the phone, booked a meeting with me, and said, “Where you go, I go.”

She didn’t need a sales pitch; she just needed the clarity that I was in her corner.

That’s loyalty — not blind allegiance, but thoughtful alignment. It’s about knowing the person behind the portfolio and recognizing effort, integrity, and consistency — even when the markets get murky.

She reminded me that loyalty isn’t something you demand; it’s something you earn. And in this industry, where people can be treated like account numbers or transactions, those moments — the ones that bring you back to why you do the work — matter more than any quarterly return.

So, if this market has you feeling like you’re sweating it out, let this be your mid-year reset:

Check your hydration.

Check your goals.

And check your relationships — the ones worth doubling down on.

 

Because in business and in life, the real ones don’t just weather the heat — they help you breathe through it.

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