Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
The barrage of unsettling headlines has investors wondering how to manage their investments amid ongoing changes and disruptions coming from Washington. On this episode of WashingtonWise, Kasey McCurdy, chief portfolio strategist at Schwab Wealth Advisory, joins host Mike Townsend to tackle the turbulent start to the year. Kasey shares insights on how investors can tune out the noise when making investment decisions, even when there are few historical comparisons, and offers strategies for building resilient portfolios amidst uncertainty, both geopolitical and domestic. Mike also provides insights on what's happening in Washington right now, including the risk of a second government shutdown, the latest from the Federal Reserve, and the challenges the White House is facing on affordability issues.
WashingtonWise (schwab.com/learn/washingtonwise) is an original podcast for investors from Charles Schwab (https://www.schwab.com) . For more on the series, visit schwab.com/WashingtonWise (schwab.com/washingtonwise) .
If you enjoy the show, please leave a ★★★★★ rating or review on Apple Podcasts (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1478013779)
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES
The policy analysis provided by the Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., does not constitute and should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any political party.
This material is intended for general informational and educational purposes only. This should not be considered an individualized recommendation or personalized investment advice. The investment strategies mentioned are not suitable for everyone. Each investor needs to review an investment strategy for his or her own particular situation before making any investment decisions.
All expressions of opinion are subject to change without notice in reaction to shifting market, economic or political conditions. Data contained herein from third party providers is obtained from what are considered reliable sources. However, its accuracy, completeness or reliability cannot be guaranteed.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Investing involves risk, including loss of principal.
All names and market data shown are for illustrative purposes only and are not a recommendation, offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security.
Diversification, asset allocation and rebalancing strategies do not ensure a profit and do not protect against losses in declining markets.
Rebalancing may cause investors to incur transaction costs and, when a non-retirement account is rebalanced, taxable events may be created that may affect your tax liability.
Performance may be affected by risks associated with non-diversification, including investments in specific countries or sectors. Additional risks may also include, but are not limited to, investments in foreign securities, especially emerging markets, real estate investment trusts (REITs), fixed income, municipal securities including state specific municipal securities, small capitalization securities and commodities. Each individual investor should consider these risks carefully before investing in a particular security or strategy.
International investments involve additional risks, which include differences in financial accounting standards, currency fluctuations, geopolitical risk, foreign taxes and regulations, and the potential for illiquid markets.
High-yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (junk bonds) are subject to greater levels of credit and liquidity risks and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities
Preferred securities are a type of hybrid investment that share characteristics of both stock and bonds. They are often callable, meaning the issuing company may redeem the security at a certain price after a certain date. Such call features, and the timing of a call, may affect the security’s yield. Preferred securities generally have lower credit ratings and a lower claim to assets than the issuer's individual bonds. Like bonds, prices of preferred securities tend to move inversely with interest rates, so their prices may fall during periods of rising interest rates. Investment value will fluctuate, and preferred securities, when sold before maturity, may be worth more or less than original cost. Preferred securities are subject to various other risks including changes in interest rates and credit quality, default risks, market valuations, liquidity, prepayments, early redemption, deferral risk, corporate events, tax ramifications, and other factors.
Forecasts contained herein are for illustrative purposes only, may be based upon proprietary research and are developed through analysis of historical public data.
Currency trading is speculative, very volatile and not suitable for all investors
Indexes are unmanaged, do not incur management fees, costs, and expenses (and/or "transaction fees or other related expenses"), and cannot be invested in dir...
The barrage of unsettling headlines has investors wondering how to manage their investments amid ongoing changes and disruptions coming from Washington. On this episode of WashingtonWise, Kasey McCurdy, chief portfolio strategist at Schwab Wealth Advisory, joins host Mike Townsend to tackle the turbulent start to the year. Kasey shares insights on how investors can tune out the noise when making investment decisions, even when there are few historical comparisons, and offers strategies for building resilient portfolios amidst uncertainty, both geopolitical and domestic. Mike also provides insights on what's happening in Washington right now, including the risk of a second government shutdown, the latest from the Federal Reserve, and the challenges the White House is facing on affordability issues.
WashingtonWise (schwab.com/learn/washingtonwise) is an original podcast for investors from Charles Schwab (https://www.schwab.com) . For more on the series, visit schwab.com/WashingtonWise (schwab.com/washingtonwise) .
If you enjoy the show, please leave a ★★★★★ rating or review on Apple Podcasts (http://getpodcast.reviews/id/1478013779)
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES
The policy analysis provided by the Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., does not constitute and should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any political party.
This material is intended for general informational and educational purposes only. This should not be considered an individualized recommendation or personalized investment advice. The investment strategies mentioned are not suitable for everyone. Each investor needs to review an investment strategy for his or her own particular situation before making any investment decisions.
All expressions of opinion are subject to change without notice in reaction to shifting market, economic or political conditions. Data contained herein from third party providers is obtained from what are considered reliable sources. However, its accuracy, completeness or reliability cannot be guaranteed.
Past performance is no guarantee of future results.
Investing involves risk, including loss of principal.
All names and market data shown are for illustrative purposes only and are not a recommendation, offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy any security.
Diversification, asset allocation and rebalancing strategies do not ensure a profit and do not protect against losses in declining markets.
Rebalancing may cause investors to incur transaction costs and, when a non-retirement account is rebalanced, taxable events may be created that may affect your tax liability.
Performance may be affected by risks associated with non-diversification, including investments in specific countries or sectors. Additional risks may also include, but are not limited to, investments in foreign securities, especially emerging markets, real estate investment trusts (REITs), fixed income, municipal securities including state specific municipal securities, small capitalization securities and commodities. Each individual investor should consider these risks carefully before investing in a particular security or strategy.
International investments involve additional risks, which include differences in financial accounting standards, currency fluctuations, geopolitical risk, foreign taxes and regulations, and the potential for illiquid markets.
High-yield securities and unrated securities of similar credit quality (junk bonds) are subject to greater levels of credit and liquidity risks and may be more volatile than higher-rated securities
Preferred securities are a type of hybrid investment that share characteristics of both stock and bonds. They are often callable, meaning the issuing company may redeem the security at a certain price after a certain date. Such call features, and the timing of a call, may affect the security’s yield. Preferred securities generally have lower credit ratings and a lower claim to assets than the issuer's individual bonds. Like bonds, prices of preferred securities tend to move inversely with interest rates, so their prices may fall during periods of rising interest rates. Investment value will fluctuate, and preferred securities, when sold before maturity, may be worth more or less than original cost. Preferred securities are subject to various other risks including changes in interest rates and credit quality, default risks, market valuations, liquidity, prepayments, early redemption, deferral risk, corporate events, tax ramifications, and other factors.
Forecasts contained herein are for illustrative purposes only, may be based upon proprietary research and are developed through analysis of historical public data.
Currency trading is speculative, very volatile and not suitable for all investors
Indexes are unmanaged, do not incur management fees, costs, and expenses (and/or "transaction fees or other related expenses"), and cannot be invested in dir...
