Finance 101: January 2026
In January the financial advisors at Ruedi Wealth Management wrote three new columns for The News-Gazette’s Business Extra section. Make sure to look for them every Saturday in the weekend edition of the paper, but in case you missed any in December all three are below.
Should You Worry About Your Investments?
Paul R. Ruedi, CFP®
It has been an interesting start to the year. The political climate has been… intense to say the least. In a world of such rapid change and uncertainty, I can completely understand why people are worried.
I can understand why people would worry about our country. I can understand the worry that the forces that shape it may not have the best interests of Americans at heart. I think many people are concerned the voices of the people are not being listened to and in many cases being silenced.
I can understand why people worry about the mass surveillance systems that are being put in place that the we did not get to vote on and don’t have any control over. Though they have their benefits, it is sensible to worry about their potential for abuse.
I can understand why people are worried that the Federal Government spends irresponsibly and relies on debt to do so. Even worse, there seems to be no will to materially change this. It is easy to worry this will turn into the type of debt spiral that has resulted in the collapse of empires throughout history.
I can understand why people worry about wars. The reasons they are being fought seem to be increasingly less righteous and they are being waged against the will of the people whose tax dollars are funding them.
I can understand worrying about our children’s futures. When I was growing up, we were taught to follow a straightforward path from education, to employment, to prosperity. With the changes that are rapidly occurring to the labor market as a result of AI, it is uncertain which careers will lead to prosperity in the future.
But should people worry about their investments? Not at all. It is one of the areas of my life that I have complete confidence that everything will turn out ok. That is likely because based on my life experience, it always has. The great companies of America and the world have dealt with wars, tough political environments, financial crises, a global pandemic, bouts of intense inflation, and any other type of adversity you can think of. They survived and thrived.
In order to be a good investor, you have to have unshakeable faith in the companies you invest in to survive and thrive no matter what is thrown at them. If you are a worrier and do not have faith in your investments, you may want to consider working with a financial advisor who does.
Paul R. Ruedi is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with Ruedi Wealth Management in Champaign, Illinois.
Analysis Paralysis
Paul Ruedi
I’ve sat across the table from people who are planning to retire for more than four decades, and I’ve noticed a pattern that never seems to change: the smartest people are often the slowest to move. They read everything. They worry about every angle. They want to make sure they don’t make a mistake.
From the outside, it looks responsible. From the inside, it feels productive. But too often, it becomes a form of paralysis. Overthinking has a way of disguising itself as wisdom. But most of the time, it’s just fear wearing a necktie.
I see it most clearly when people are deciding if they can retire. Someone is close, maybe a year or two away from retirement. The numbers work. The plan is solid. But they want one more projection. One more market scenario. One more year “just to be safe.” So they keep working. And waiting.
Preparation is important. But preparation without action isn’t progress, it’s a holding pattern. Thinking feels like work because it’s tiring. You finish a long analysis session convinced you’ve done something meaningful. But nothing in your life actually changed. No decision was made. No opportunity was claimed.
People who experience analysis paralysis when planning for retirement are behaving based on fear and seemingly won’t act until that fear subsides. But waiting for fear to disappear before acting is a losing strategy. Fear doesn’t go away. It just learns better vocabulary. It starts calling itself “being cautious” or “doing due diligence.” Meanwhile, the calendar keeps flipping.
What rarely gets discussed is the cost of that delay. Another year of commuting. Another year of stress. Another year not spent doing the things they planned to do during retirement. Once in a lifetime trips are not taken. Memories are not made.
Doing nothing is still a decision. It hands the wheel to chance and hopes for the best. Sometimes that works. Often it doesn’t. A far better option is to take action based on a reasonable plan, accept that life will surprise you, and adjust along the way.
If you find yourself endlessly revisiting the same analysis when planning for retirement, ask yourself a simple question: “What would a reasonable step forward look like right now?” Then take it. You can adjust later. You almost always can. But you can’t buy back the years you spent thinking instead of living. If you need help taking that first step towards the retirement of your dreams, you may want to consider seeking the help of a retirement planner.
Paul Ruedi is the CEO of Ruedi Wealth Management in Champaign, Illinois.
A World of Opportunity
Paul R. Ruedi, CFP®
I am writing this column from Algarrobo, Chile while on a trip to visit my wife’s extended family. You’ve likely never heard of this small Chilean town, but if you have it is likely because the world’s largest pool is located here. I’m currently looking right at it.
Though in the US we feel like we are very much in the center of the modern world, this trip reminds me that there is a big world out there. Investors have a lot of financial opportunity beyond the great companies of America. But how can investors take advantage of all the opportunities that exist outside the US? By investing in globally-diversified investment funds of course!
Though you’ve likely never heard of the area and resort I am staying in, it is a multi-billion dollar development. It has been a great reminder that there are a lot of multi-billion dollar companies Americans have never heard of all over the globe in countries they never think twice about. Though we as Americans are tempted to think all the best ideas and business will come from Silicon Valley, who is to say that the next big idea or hot-performing investment can’t arise in any other part of the world?
Case in point the country I am visiting. Though the US stock market had a very good year last year, the IPSA Index, which measures the largest and most liquid stocks on the Santiago Exchange (consider it the Chilean version of the S&P 500) was up a whopping 56% in Chilean pesos. US investors who put money in something like the iShares MSCI Chile Index Fund saw their investment rise by over 64% in US dollars in 2025.
Of course, past performance is not an indication of future results, and I am not suggesting everyone rush to invest in Chilean companies. On top of that, the allocation to Chile in most globally diversified investment portfolios is very small. In a globally-diversified portfolio the impact wasn’t huge. But it was there. As a globally diversified investor I got benefit from it. No research, predictions, or bets necessary.
This happens with small countries and companies all over the globe. You just never know which country or company will be the star performer in any given year. But if you are a globally diversified investor who owns everything, you stand poised to benefit from returns no matter what small corner of the globe they show up in. It is a tremendous opportunity, so take advantage of it.
Paul R. Ruedi is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional with Ruedi Wealth Management in Champaign, Illinois.
Disclaimer: Past performance is no indication of future results. You should not make any investment decisions without first performing your own due diligence and consulting your financial advisor.