As 2026 begins, markets are already showing us plenty to monitor—geopolitical headlines, inflation trends, interest rate expectations, and renewed government shutdown negotiations that could resurface this year. For retirees and pre-retirees, this steady stream of uncertainty can make portfolio decisions feel heavier than ever.

In this month’s Matt’s Minutes, Matt Curfman, CFP®, CEO & Co-Owner of Richmond Brothers—with a quick cameo from Oliver—offers a timely and educational market check-in to help you start the year informed, confident, and aligned to your personal investing comfort zone.

🎥 Watch this month’s Matt’s Minutes video here

(Full transcript below)

⏱️ Video Highlights

Geopolitical Headlines & Market Uncertainty
Matt notes that weekend headlines involving Venezuela and U.S. intervention can create uncertainty and impact market sentiment over time.

Government Shutdown & Election Cycle
One of the longest government shutdowns at the end of 2025 ended with a temporary resolution. Matt reminds viewers that shutdown negotiations may return to headlines, and midterm elections later this year are also worth monitoring.

Inflation, Interest Rates & Fed Direction
Inflation trends, interest rate movement, and Federal Reserve policy remain key forces that influence portfolios in 2026.

Balancing Growth & Protection
Market predictions are uncertain. What matters more is portfolio alignment—finding the right balance between growth and protection based on personal comfort and risk tolerance.

Communicating Your Portfolio Preferences
Matt encourages clients to speak up if you’re feeling a pull toward an investing balance that feels different than your established goals. Because we guide portfolios over time, strategy is shaped by what we already know about your plan, priorities, and long-term goals. This is a conversation we walk through with you—actively and collaboratively.

📰 Key Takeaways

1. Geopolitical headlines can create uncertainty
   Risks like international news may not always move markets right away, but they can influence sentiment over time.
2. Government shutdown discussions may return
   The 2025 shutdown ended temporarily. Future negotiations could resurface in headlines and create market noise.
3. Midterm elections are coming later in 2026
   Election cycles are always worth watching as part of the broader market landscape.
4. Inflation and interest rates remain central in 2026
   Federal Reserve policy and rate direction continue to be key drivers of portfolio conditions.
5. No one can predict markets with certainty
   Long term, Matt expects the American business engine to push toward growth, but the future is unknown.
6. Growth and protection require balance, not crystal balls
   You can’t always maximize upside and hold full protection at the same time. The goal is finding the right mix for you.
7. Communicating your investing preferences is critical
   Tell your Richmond Brothers advisory team if you want more safety nets, more growth exposure, or a balance.
8. Richmond Brothers can guide portfolios across the spectrum
   From preservation to growth and everything in between, support exists on both ends.
9. Portfolio clarity matters more than reacting to headlines
   Confidence comes from alignment to your comfort zone, not market guessing.
10. Your voice guides the strategy
    Portfolio decisions should reflect what matters most to you, first.
11. Guidance is ongoing, not occasional
    Your portfolio strategy is actively shaped around your plan.

💬 In Closing

As Matt shared:

“We’re grateful to serve you, and to walk with you no matter what 2026 brings.”

Retirement investing isn’t about guessing what happens next—it’s about making decisions confidently, not reactively, with portfolios built around your comfort, goals, and risk tolerance.

Full Transcript

Hi everyone, it’s Matt Curfman and your little companion, Oliver. Here we are here with the very first days of 2026. Happy New Year to everyone who’s watching. Thank you for tuning in. We just wanted to check in on the start of the new year and give you some thoughts from a Matt’s Minutes perspective as we move into the first month and the first quarter of the new year with everything going on.

And so probably the biggest things that we head into 2026 already just over the weekend. And I think about what are risks or concerns that are out there that we just want to kind of stay ahead of relative to how they could impact markets over time. Geopolitical risk is always one of that, one of those. And recently, there were headlines over the weekend, regarding the Venezuelan president and the US going into the country and bringing the president of Venezuela to the US. So again, all these things could create uncertainty and global turmoil in the markets. It may not happen from a market perspective, but again, these are all just things that can impact.

We had the longest, one of the longest government shutdowns in history in the last part of 2025. The resolution was temporary. So, very soon you will see headlines again. This order about a possible government shutdown. Depending on what negotiations are done, there also could cause some concern. And then later this year will be midterm elections. So again, those are things. As we head into 2026, we all, we will continue to watch inflation and interest rates and what the Fed does.

And all of these things impact portfolios, especially those who are trying to preserve so hard what they have, you’ve saved a lifetime for. And so as you recall, our aim is to basically help, educate, inform and guide you no matter what the world throws in your or our path. And so with that in mind, I kind of think back to the spring of 2025 in February, March and April that was leading up to the tariff deadlines, what was called Liberation Day. And if you look back from a market perspective, at that point markets were completely free falling. And then I want to give you an analogy and just something for you to think about.

If you shut your eyes for a minute and you think about in the moment when every day you wake up and you see headlines or you hear negativity and markets are free falling and you’re either retired or you have a pot of money that you saved and you see a lot of red, it’s really really hard to feel great about that scenario. And. And yet, when you’re in the moment, you then have to pull out your crystal ball and look to the future to say, what’s next? When I say, what’s next, what’s gonna happen in the markets? And the true answer is no one really knows.

I think over a long period of time, we can expect the American business engine to try to keep the markets growing. But if you have a pot of money and you’re trying to protect it, you can’t always get the protections and have the maximum upside. And so it’s just trying to find the right balancing act to meet your risk tolerance. And so if you still like or want safety nets or you don’t have them and you want safety nets, make sure you’re communicating that to us, to your advisory team.

If you are someone who wants to take more risk, make sure you’re communicating that to us too. We have solutions on both ends of the spectrum that we can help guide you with. So we are here to help again, educate, inform, and guide you no matter what’s going on. And behind the scenes, one of my roles for the firm and for all of you is to constantly, I’m looking ahead to try to see what tools, what strategies, what investment allocations can help make sense in the coming world. So thank you so much for tuning in.

Hope you all had a wonderful and somewhat relaxing holiday season, as we get geared up for the new year 2026. We’re excited to be on this journey with you, and, please keep your questions rolling. We are grateful for the opportunity we have to work with you. Thank you so much.

The commentary in this video reflects the personal opinions, viewpoints and analyses of Richmond Brothers employees, and should not be regarded as advisory services provided by Richmond Brothers, and are subject to change at any time without notice. Any mention of a particular security and related performance data is not a recommendation to buy or sell that security. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Any indices referenced for comparison are unmanaged and cannot be invested into directly. As always please remember investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital; please seek advice from a licensed professional. Richmond Brothers, Inc. does not provide tax advice.