For investors today, market updates never stop. Alerts buzz across smartphones. Headlines toggle between optimism and panic. Social media amplifies every downturn. It’s a constant stream of information—and for many, a constant source of anxiety.
Levi Pettit, managing partner of Dornick Wealth Management, says this overload is more than a nuisance. It’s a threat to long-term returns.
“The world has changed a lot. We walk around with notification devices in our pockets and pretty much know what’s going on at all times,” he said. “A lot of the news that’s out there today is meant to strike fear.”
Building Discipline Into the Plan
Instead of trying to outguess markets or quiet headlines, Pettit focuses on building discipline into the financial planning process itself. Investment policy statements form the core: outlining allocation targets, rebalancing rules, and decision thresholds set when clients are calm—not panicking.
“We want to be proactive as opposed to reactive,” Pettit said. “Knee-jerk reactions to headlines can destroy returns.”
Dornick also monitors client sentiment during volatile periods, sending short check-in surveys that ask how clients are feeling about their plans and current market conditions. The goal is early intervention—before worry turns into action.
This isn’t just theory. Research shows investors routinely underperform the markets they’re invested in, often because they buy and sell at the wrong times. Pettit sees that gap not as a technical flaw, but a behavioral one—and one that can be managed with structure and coaching.
“You pay us to give you that peace of mind,” he said. “That’s what we’re ultimately setting out to do.”
Untangling Emotional Decisions
Pettit also helps clients step back from financial decisions rooted in emotion, especially those tied to career or family identity. Business owners, for instance, may feel comfortable investing heavily in the sector they work in. But that familiarity can mask risk, particularly if both salary and portfolio depend on the same economic forces.
“If your job is in oil and gas and your portfolio is too, you’ve doubled your exposure to the same risk,” Pettit said.
Stock options are another example. Many clients become emotionally tied to shares earned over years of work—sometimes holding them long past what’s financially prudent. Dornick helps establish clear decision frameworks to determine when and how to diversify.
Inherited assets come with their own challenges. Family properties or legacy investments can carry deep sentimental value. Pettit doesn’t push clients to sell—but he does help them think critically about how concentrated those positions are, and whether holding onto them jeopardizes broader financial goals.
“Legacy assets aren’t necessarily bad,” he said. “But they should be discussed in the context of the full plan.”
Calm Through Context
For Pettit, managing money well isn’t about reacting faster. It’s about reacting less. By building financial strategies that account for volatility—and keeping communication open during those moments—Dornick aims to help clients stay grounded.
“It’s about creating peace of mind,” he said. “Not because we eliminate volatility, but because clients understand how we’ve prepared for it.”
In an age of always-on information, that calm is a competitive advantage—and one few investors can build alone.
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