AWM Insights Financial and Investment News

In this episode of AWM Insights, Justin Dyer and Mena Hanna review the highs and lows of the 2025 markets and share their perspectives on navigating market volatility in 2026. Drawing from real-world examples like dramatic market swings and sudden events, they discuss the importance of disciplined investing, resisting the urge to time the market, and building repeatable habits for lasting wealth. If you're looking for actionable strategies backed by expertise—and a candid, behind-the-scenes look at how seasoned pros think through uncertainty—this episode lays out the playbook for making smarter decisions in any market environment.

Chapters
(00:00) Reflecting on 2025 Market Performance
(01:19) Tariffs and Volatility in 2025
(02:27) Benefits of Diversification and Discipline
(04:01) Efficient Markets and the Dangers of Timing
(07:13) Building Repeatable Investment Processes
(08:00) Focusing on Habits and Controlling the Controllables
(09:49) Sticking to the Playbook and Accountability

Connect with Us

Creators and Guests

Host
Justin Dyer
Chief Investment Officer and Chief Operating Officer at AWM Capital
Host
Mena Hanna
Senior Investment Analyst at AWM Capital

What is AWM Insights Financial and Investment News?

A bite sized discussion on timely financial news and investment topics, to help you maximize your net worth and wealth for the next generation with Justin Dyer and Mena Hanna of AWM Capital.

Justin Dyer: Hey everyone.

Welcome back to a WM Insights It's
our first episode of 20 25, 20 26.

Excuse me, still stuck in the past.

Uh, glad to be here.

Lots to, lots to talk about.

It's always a great time of
year to reflect and refocus.

That's definitely one of the, one of
the items we're gonna, uh, cover today.

But, um, you know, with with, we'd
be remiss in, in not just doing

a quick review of 2025, which.

Punchline and hopefully everyone
knows, was following along.

It was a great year, great year in
markets, uh, really across the board.

Um, one of the first years
where US underperformed.

It was still a good year in US
markets, but certainly, uh, not

at the top of the leaderboard.

Um, but then we will also focus.

Take those lessons learned, and even
some recent lessons that we, we, uh,

or, or events that, you know, came,
came about really right outta the

gate here in 2026 and, and, uh, set
the stage for, for how to think about

investing, uh, recalibrate expectations.

Kind of like good old reflect
and refocus, like I said.

So without further ado, Mina,
why don't you, uh, jump right in.

What, 2025?

Give us the highlights.

Mena Hanna: 2025 was a busy one We had
you know a a solid market and call it the

first quarter, and then we had pandemonium
with Liberation Day in Tariffs and

Salt.

April

Justin Dyer: April 2025

right?

Yeah,

Mena Hanna: April, 2025 was crazy.

Markets were down like 20%.

We saw some Five ish percent down days,
and then a couple tweets later, and

some, uh, some delays in foreign policy.

And we had like a 10% update,
which is one of the biggest market.

It, it was actually points wise, the
biggest market day ever, um, on record.

So, and, and at the same time, a lot
of people were, were selling markets.

A lot of people were scared.

They were thinking about
the effects of tariffs.

That really carried its
way through all of 2025.

There's a lot of concern about
how tariffs would impact the

economy markets, and we really had,
besides a few minor blips here and

there, just a really strong market year
in domestic markets and an especially a

strong year in international and emerging

markets.

Justin Dyer: Yeah right It it really
was a year where diversification

disciplined investing, I think
really rewarded, um, uh, rewarded

investors if, if you were applying

that that

Mena Hanna: and if you tried to
tie markets you probably missed out

on significant returns last year.

Justin Dyer: Yeah Great reminder right
Markets not only Incorporate information.

Right.

We're gonna talk about that a little
bit in, in some recent events, but

incorporate in, in information, all

available information.

They do it incredibly fast.

Is it perfect all the time?

No, but it's an incredibly
difficult thing to get ahead of.

Um, and, and, and really benefit
from in any systematic way.

Um, and we certainly saw that in 2025,
specifically with the tariffs, but there

were plenty of other little microcosm,
uh, examples of that in, in, in order.

Um, one thing, I guess
kind of a lesson learned,

I would say is I, I like this
framing patience, most definitely.

Uh, beat out speed and trying
to time things like, like

we've talked about, um, well.

Lots

to highlight 2025 Um, we don't
want to spend too much time on

that just 'cause I mean, go, go
listen to all of our old episodes.

Uh, but as we look forward to 2026
and, and like I alluded to, there's

some interesting events already, right?

Whatever we we're recording
this on, on January 7th.

Uh, so we've already
been tested, so to speak.

Let's talk through those.

What are the, what are the events
we've even talking about, but more

importantly, lessons learned from that,

Mena Hanna: Yeah yeah.

And it's been it was a big test and
it was actually a big test during the

weekend which is an interesting time
to get a test because obviously markets

are closed and you can't really trade.

But the events in Venezuela,
the military operation, um, that

happened over the weekend and what
we saw on Monday was a spike up in.

Energy prices, companies
that produce energy.

There was a pretty strong rally.

It was around 2% across the index.

Chevron, which was one of, you know,
the most discussed companies, um,

through this whole new wave, was up 5%.

And you saw a lot of activity I'll
actually, uh, posted up here, but you

saw a lot of activities, especially
in those early morning hours.

where Retail traders
were waking up on Monday.

They were placing their trades, they
were moving markets to the upside, and

it was a very, call it active bet market
timing, taking situational information,

thinking that you're getting ahead of,
as you said, extremely efficient markets.

And not to spoil the surprise, but
if you guys are looking at the chart

right now that's on the screen.

That all went away the next day.

So if you bought Chevron.

Up 5% on Monday.

Well, it was down 4.5%

on Tuesday, and the energy
sector is down again today.

So if you bought that, if you made
that trade, you're just down and

you're down a pretty good chunk
while markets as a whole are up.

Um, and it's just a nice little,
it, it couldn't be more perfect.

Just a lesson on how you shouldn't
time markets and how efficient markets

truly are.

Justin Dyer: Yeah and I would even
take that little lesson further

to say what, what we are always
focusing on are, are repeatable

processes repeatable processes,
repeatable investment approaches

where we don't know what.

The what, what markets
are gonna do day to day.

But what we can have pretty high
confidence in is in a processor approach

that over long periods of time generate
really, really, really strong returns.

And, and mo most importantly, sufficient
returns to meet your priorities.

What's most important to you as a human?

We know, and this is a great example

of it that trading day trading just in
general, but certainly trying to trade,

predict where markets are going on.

The news is not a repeatable process.

Maybe sometime it's going to be right.

More often than not,

it seems you know, using examples like
this, the, the market moves really

quick or overreacts or, you know,

you you pick your your, uh,
your, uh, your movement.

But it's just, it's not a process that
you can trade or invest in effectively

to drive long-term, uh, performance
consistent long-term performance.

Is there to meet your priorities.

What is really, what is
really, truly important to you?

Right?

It's always good for, or I always
like to frame what we're trying

to accomplish here in the lens of,
of, of day-to-day market activity.

So hopefully that

little tidbits helpful

Mena Hanna: if market timing
isn't in your uh 2026 playbook

what what is in your, 2026

Justin Dyer: play Yeah Uh so
uh great question I you know

Mena Hanna: Um,

Justin Dyer: Within this podcast,
we tie a lot back to, uh,

we tie it back a lot to our good old
friend Brian Kane and, and mental

performance and really more, more
specifically just good habits, right?

Good investing generally, uh, goes hand
in hand with good habits at the end.

The beginning of the year, it's always
good to think about your habits,

so, uh, reflect and refocus, right?

Where am I?

Doing things well, where can I get better?

Am I hitting my savings target?

Am I, you know, am I
getting caught up in FOMO

type investing questions or, or, uh,
you know, speculative behaviors, right?

Can I, can I improve how I'm
thinking about those items?

That's a great, great place to spend
time reflecting and refocusing.

The other one related
to that is focusing on.

Controlling what you can control.

Can you control the markets?

No.

Can I predict the future?

No.

Right?

Good old.

Good old.

Be where your feet are.

Control what you can control.

Don't get caught up in things that
you can't control, and know that

this is a very long-term game where.

At the end of the day all all of
this reflecting and refocusing leads

to better habits, better habits stacked
over time, compounds and leads to

better outcomes over the long term.

You're not gonna change things overnight,
whether it's in, you know, with respect

to personal goals, health, et cetera.

But if you can build those repeatable
habits across your physical health,

across your mental health, across your
financial health, you are going to see.

Great results down the road.

So I'm not gonna pull out a crystal
ball and talk about what I think about

2026 You know I, if, if we were
to have that conversation, I'd

say it's set up to be a very

interesting year You know, US
markets are valued pretty, pretty

richly they have been for a while.

So that doesn't necessarily
mean anything's turning over,

uh, um, in the near term.

It certainly could.

Right.

Um, there's obviously
all sorts of interesting

geopolitical, um, uh, uh, just.

Conflict or tension going
on around the world.

And so, you know, you

put a lot of those together.

Uh, diversification's always a
great approach to investing to

apply, but certainly it is nowadays.

Um, we saw that a lot last year and the
benefit of it, and I think that will

definitely be a strength going forward.

What would you

say

Mena Hanna: It would be along those same
lines I think yeah don't time markets.

Make sure that you are treating
this year as just another year, and

know that the only thing that you
can control is, is your actions.

You can really get in the way
of making yourself money if

you don't run the right play.

You have, we have the playbook.

We talk about the right playbook
that puts the odds in your

favor and makes you the casino.

Taking

shots that are unnecessary,
that have call it a less

than 50% chance of success.

Maybe that might work from time
to time, but over the long haul,

if you do that every single day this
year, you are gonna look at your

investment portfolio on December
31st, and you will not be happy.

So run the playbook.

Run the playbook in a way that's
strategic, that increases your

odds of success and your odds
of realizing a positive return.

Don't get too cute with things.

I actually think your
point around, uh, a risk

is an interesting one because I think
when there is risk in the market,

when there is uncertainty like
sometimes those actually are the

best years from a market return

standpoint Um, a lot of people might
be on the sidelines holding back.

Mm-hmm.

You know, they might have Greenland in the
back of their minds and what we might do

there and, and, oh, I'll, I'll wait to
invest after x, y, Z event happens and.

That leads to missed opportunities.

So invest early, understand that you
are investing in risk markets and

have a plan to, to do the right
thing constantly and hold yourself

accountable to do the right thing

constantly.

Justin Dyer: Yeah, that's right I I
think it's well said Right And we most

definitely are your accountability
partner, uh, out there to all,

all you listeners and clients.

Um, and, and hopefully this podcast
is helpful throughout 2026 to

give those little nudges give those
reminders, answer questions you might

have um, along the way.

Um, so thanks for listening.

We'll wrap

there

Mena Hanna: Shoot me a text
is always 6 2 6 8 6 2 0 3 5 5.

It's been, it's been too long.

I forgot my own phone

Justin Dyer: Yeah there you go Yeah
definitely send us the question

send us us the topics you want us to
address and, uh, in 2026, let's all

collectively own our wealth, make
an impact, and always be a pro I.