January 2026 Update: On Edge

On Edge

Many of us at Bond&Devick enjoy playing Connections, the New York Times puzzle where you group sixteen words into four related categories. For example, “cat, dog, guinea pig, and parakeet” might form a set of common pets. The actual game is often far more challenging, with subtle and unexpected links.

If we created a Bond&Devick version today, our theme would be numbers: 1929, 1987, 2000, and 2008. Why? Because everyone seems eager to compare January 2026 to past market crashes. You could even add 1914, 1939, 1989, and 2001—or, for a literary twist, 1984.

Humans are wired to seek patterns. It’s a survival trait that served us well for millennia, but in investing, it can lead us astray. As Daniel Crosby notes:

“The very wiring that helped us survive on the savannah—fight or flight, pattern recognition, social conformity—now conspires against us in modern markets. What once kept us alive now keeps us from being rational.”

The truth is, no one knows the future. Physicist Niels Bohr famously said, “Prediction is very difficult, especially when it’s about the future.” Bond&Devick’s roots go back to 1982. Over the past 44 years, we have navigated many periods of uncertainty and volatility. We are a seasoned team with decades of experience and a broad range of expertise.

We bolstered our investment committee with the addition of Matt Farris, CFA®. This has provided us with additional resources and time to research the markets and the economy. While we don’t make big bets, we do tweak the portfolios over time depending on our analysis of current market conditions. We continue to believe that diversification and disciplined portfolio rebalancing are the most effective ways to help our clients reach their goals.

Is this 1929 or 1997? Only time will tell. Our advice and mantra is to resist market timing and stay balanced and diversified. It’s a pragmatic approach in a world where uncertainty is constant.

—The Bond&Devick Team