The halfway point of the year is a natural time to reflect—not just on investment performance, but on whether your financial plan is helping you build the life you truly want.
In this month’s video, Michael Brady shares why successful financial planning extends far beyond market returns. While the first half of 2026 has reminded investors that markets rarely move in a straight line, the bigger lesson is one that doesn’t change with economic headlines: your investments are simply the tools. Your purpose, your family, your legacy, and your goals are what truly matter.
Watch this month’s Mid-Year Update as Michael discusses staying focused through market volatility, the value of diversification, and why aligning your wealth with your purpose remains the foundation of every financial plan.
Transcript
Hi there, Mike Brady with Generosity Wealth Management, a comprehensive, full-service financial services firm headquartered here in Boulder, Colorado.
Today is our halftime report. Half the year is gone, and we have half to go.
I want to talk a little technically about the markets, but I’m going to be very philosophical today as well.
Before I go on, you’re probably wondering what’s up with my backdrop. I’m in a hotel room because my very favorite uncle is not doing well. He had a heart transplant about eight years ago, and now, in his 70s, he’s facing some health challenges.
I’m very fortunate that I can continue working with clients and serving in my chosen profession anywhere I have my iPad, internet access, and video capability. So this hotel room is where I’m recording today, and honestly, it’s the best backdrop I could find. I still wanted to get this newsletter out to you.
It kind of reminds me—and this is where I get philosophical—that during the first 20 years of my 35-year career, I wore a suit and went to an office every day. At one point, I made a proactive choice. I wanted to make an impact in the world. I wanted to live my life. I wanted the flexibility to support my family when they’re sick or when they need me. That’s very important to me.
You may feel the same way. You want to support your children, your grandchildren, and your loved ones. Maybe your purpose is to travel. Maybe it’s making sure your needs are met in retirement so you don’t outlive your money. Maybe it’s maintaining the dignity and freedom to make your own decisions or passing your wealth on to the next generation or to charities.
Whatever it is, you have your own goals.
Very few people wake up in the morning and say, “I want to think about my investments today,” or, “I can’t wait to review my financial plan.”
Those things are simply the means to an end.
They’re the processes that help us accomplish what really matters.
Here at Generosity Wealth Management, we say that we align wealth with purpose and possibility. It’s important to understand what your purpose is and what possibilities you’re striving toward—even those you may not have thought about yet.
Think about a watch. Most of us care about the hour hand, the minute hand, and the second hand. Do you really care about all the gears underneath that make it work? Or, in today’s world, all the electronics inside a digital watch?
No.
You simply care that it tells the right time and gets you where you want to go.
That’s exactly what we do here.
We’re trying to align the pieces of your financial life with the realities of the world so you can get where you want to go. It doesn’t matter if someone else gets there first or later. What matters is your goals, your purpose, and your journey.
Generosity Wealth Management exists to help you get there.
Generosity Estate Planning focuses on maintaining dignity while you’re living and ensuring your wishes are carried out after you’re gone. That practice is led by Cassidy Murphy, a seasoned attorney with more than 25 years of legal experience.
We also serve business owners through Generosity Business Exit Planning, a division we don’t talk about as often. There, we help business owners prepare their companies for transition—whether that’s passing the business to the next generation, selling it, or simply making sure both the business and the owner are transition-ready.
The goal is that the success you’ve built in your business becomes significance that continues long after you’ve stepped away.
One thing I’ve observed over the years is that I work with clients who have lots of commas and zeros after their net worth, and I work with clients who have fewer.
The formula for success is remarkably similar.
In my opinion, it comes down to emotional control, understanding your time horizon, maintaining discipline, having adequate liquidity, and clearly defining your goals.
In fact, I believe 80% of reaching your goals is simply knowing what those goals actually are.
Are you trying to retire at a certain age? Support your family? Travel? Leave a legacy?
Once we understand that, we can build the investment strategy around those objectives. Then we can identify the things most likely to derail your plan and proactively address them.
The investments themselves aren’t the destination—they’re simply the vehicle.
That’s an important distinction.
Now, let’s talk briefly about the markets.
The first quarter wasn’t very good.
The second quarter largely made up for it.
Most of the unmanaged stock market indexes are positive for the year, although performance varies depending on where you’re invested.
Large-growth stocks, which were among the strongest performers last year, have lagged so far this year. They’re still positive, just not leading the pack.
Meanwhile, small-value stocks, which struggled last year, have been among the best-performing sectors this year.
Markets rotate.
That’s why diversification is so important.
Bond indexes are also modestly positive this year and continue to provide the stabilizing influence they often bring to a diversified portfolio.
The lesson here is simple.
One quarter does not determine an entire year.
At the end of the first quarter, some people felt convinced it would be a terrible year.
That wasn’t true.
Likewise, just because the first half of the year has been positive doesn’t guarantee the second half will be.
This is exactly why we focus on time horizon and discipline.
There’s a chart I’m going to put on the screen that’s become one of my favorites.
It looks at a diversified portfolio made up of 60% stocks and 40% bonds using unmanaged indexes going back to 1989.
The farther out your investment time horizon extends—from one day, to one week, one month, one year, three years, five years, and ten years—the greater your historical probability of experiencing positive returns.
Over very short periods, markets can move in either direction.
But historically, the longer investors remained disciplined and stayed invested in a diversified portfolio, the better their odds became.
Our goal isn’t simply to break even.
You could do that by putting your money in the bank.
Our goal is to thoughtfully manage downside risk while helping position you to achieve your long-term objectives.
As we move into the second half of the year, I’ve already planned several upcoming videos where we’ll cover more technical topics, including Trump Accounts and other financial issues you may be hearing about in the news.
One reason I don’t spend much time discussing daily headlines is because you’re already surrounded by them.
Turn on the television.
Open a newspaper.
Browse the internet.
Technical information is everywhere.
But understanding the individual tools—a hammer, a nail gun, or a wrench—doesn’t teach you how to build a house.
The wisdom comes from knowing how all of those tools fit together to create something meaningful.
Our goal isn’t to obsess over the tools.
Our goal is to help you build the life you want to live.
To live with purpose.
To create a meaningful legacy.
To have the freedom to support your family at a moment’s notice if they need you.
That’s what financial planning is really about.
Whether the markets are up or down in any given month or quarter, we’ll continue helping you navigate those details while keeping your long-term goals at the center of every decision.
I hope you understand that, and I hope you’ll always feel comfortable reaching out so we can have honest conversations about where you’re headed and how we can help guide you there.
I’m Mike Brady with Generosity Wealth Management.
If you ever have questions, give us a call at 303-747-6455.
I’m here. Felicia is here. Autumn, Evan, Cassidy, and Sara are all here to support you wherever life takes you.
Have a wonderful celebration of our great country’s anniversary, and we’ll talk to you again next month.
Bye-bye.