The Headlines Change. Good Financial Principles Don't
- 11 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Helping you with financial certainty
The Updated Investor Pty Ltd
July 2026
Over the past few weeks I've had a number of clients contact me asking the same question.
"Should we be worried?"
It's hardly surprising. Every time you turn on the television or open your phone there's another crisis.
War in the Middle East.
Renewed tensions involving Donald Trump and Iran.
Concerns over oil supplies.
Predictions of higher petrol prices.
Share markets reacting one day and recovering the next.
If we're not careful, it's easy to feel like the world is becoming increasingly unstable. The truth is, it probably always has been.
When the world feels particularly chaotic, I often remind myself of something history has taught us repeatedly.
Disasters happen.
Political leaders come and go.
Wars begin and end.
Economies boom and bust.
Technology changes everything before becoming yesterday's news.
Yet somehow, humanity keeps moving forward.
People still need somewhere to live.
Families still need food on the table.
Businesses still need to operate.
Children still need to go to school.
Life continues.
Australians are fortunate to live in one of the world's most stable democracies. That doesn't mean we're immune from global events, but it does mean we've built institutions and an economy that have repeatedly shown remarkable resilience.
The Latest Concern: Oil and Fuel Prices
The latest conflict involving the United States and Iran has again focused attention on the Middle East, where a significant proportion of the world's oil supply is produced and transported.
Whenever tensions increase in that region, financial markets immediately begin asking the same question:
"Will oil prices rise?"
It's a reasonable concern. If shipping through key routes such as the Strait of Hormuz were disrupted, global oil prices could increase, eventually flowing through to higher fuel prices here in Australia.
That, in turn, can place pressure on inflation, household budgets and interest rate expectations. The important word, however, is could.
Markets are constantly trying to price in possibilities long before anyone knows what will actually happen. That's why markets often move far more dramatically than the underlying reality eventually justifies.
This Isn't Our First Crisis
After more than 30 years as a financial planner, I've lived through plenty of these moments.
Black Monday.
The Asian Financial Crisis.
The Dot-Com Bubble.
September 11.
The Global Financial Crisis.
COVID-19.
Rapid inflation.
Multiple interest rate cycles.
Now we're navigating another period of geopolitical uncertainty.
Each time the headlines suggested that "this time is different."
Each time investors were tempted to abandon carefully constructed long-term plans. And each time, eventually, the world adapted.
That doesn't mean markets never fall.
Of course they do.
It means successful investing has never depended on predicting the next headline. It has depended on building portfolios capable of surviving them.
We Don't Build Portfolios Around Headlines
One of the questions I'm occasionally asked is whether current events cause us to rethink our investment philosophy. The answer is surprisingly simple.
No.
Our investment process has always assumed uncertainty will exist.
Rather than trying to predict political outcomes, elections, wars or market movements, we focus on building portfolios that can withstand them.
That's why diversification matters.
It's why we pay close attention to liquidity.
It's why we avoid unnecessary concentration.
And it's why we constantly ask ourselves one simple question:
"If something unexpected happens tomorrow, how well prepared is this portfolio?"
That philosophy has served our clients well through every major market event over the past three decades.
I see no reason why it shouldn't continue to do so.
Financial Certainty Isn't About Predicting the Future
One of the biggest misconceptions about investing is that successful investors somehow know what's going to happen next.
They don't.
Nobody does.
Financial Certainty doesn't come from predicting the future. It comes from knowing your financial affairs have been organised to cope with whatever the future delivers. That's a very different mindset.
It allows you to spend less time worrying about today's headlines and more time focusing on the life you're trying to build.
After all, markets will always have another crisis.
The media will always have another breaking story.
Politicians will always disagree.
But good financial principles rarely change.
If you'd like to better understand how your own investments are positioned for uncertain times, or simply want to discuss what's happening in today's markets, please don't hesitate to get in touch.
Sometimes the greatest value a financial planner provides isn't predicting the future.
It's helping clients keep perspective when everyone else is losing theirs.
David Haseldine Founder and Financial Planner The Updated Investor Pty Ltd
Suite 4 81-85 Great North Rd, Five Dock NSW 2046 02 9712 7313
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