Don't Complicate Your 2026 Game Plan
Editor's note: It's time to prepare for the year ahead...
With high inflation and ongoing geopolitical conflict creating heightened market volatility, many investors are unsure about what to do with their money right now. But even in this chaotic environment, you can still find ways to profit...
That's why Retirement Millionaire editor Dr. David "Doc" Eifrig stresses you need a game plan in place that allows you to navigate today's murky waters carefully.
In today's Masters Series, adapted from the January 16 and January 26 issues of the free Health & Wealth Bulletin daily e-letter, Doc details how you can identify buying opportunities amid today's up-and-down market – while still limiting your risk...
Don't Complicate Your 2026 Game Plan
It's time to sell America...
You probably saw this advice in the news when stocks tanked on January 20 after President Donald Trump said he'd punish European nations that don't back his goal of taking control of Greenland.
With Trump threatening 10% tariffs on eight countries, investors worried that this could lead to another – and potentially larger – tariff war.
The S&P 500 Index, Nasdaq Composite Index, and Dow Jones Industrial Average ended down nearly 2% or more following the announcement.
That same day, Denmark announced its AkademikerPension fund would sell all of its U.S. Treasury securities, amounting to around $100 million worth of U.S. debt. The fund says its decision is due to poor U.S. finances.
Treasurys are often thought of as "risk-free" investments because they're backed by the U.S. government. But it's clear not everyone agrees on their safety, as investors sold bonds in droves following the news from Denmark.
The 10-year Treasury rate spiked to nearly 4.3% as a result – its highest level since August. (Bond prices and yields move opposite each other, so rising yields mean falling bond prices.)
Two of my favorite chaos hedges – gold and silver – hit historic highs on January 20 as well. The increasing volatility has pushed more folks to move their money into these safe havens.
Now, the latest tariff threat is gone as quickly as it arrived. Just one day after his threats, Trump backed off after agreeing on a "framework" for the future of Greenland with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. The markets rallied on the news, gaining back their losses from the previous day.
The trouble is, investors around the world aren't going to forget what happened. Many folks will think twice before putting their money into America.
I'll admit, I'm not as bullish now as I was even a few months ago. The status quo has clearly been thrown out the window. That makes it tough to make any educated guesses on what will happen next.
But I still wouldn't bet on a great American sell-off.
The U.S. dollar has been the world's reserve currency since 1944, following the Bretton Woods Agreement after World War II. And to this day, it forms the basis of the world's financial system. It's what banks around the world hold in reserve against their loans.
By selling its Treasury securities, Denmark is signaling that it has lost faith in this system. But that $100 million is just a drop in the $30 trillion bucket of issued U.S. Treasurys globally.
And the world's investors understand that Denmark's move – coming in the same week that Trump threatened its territory in Greenland – was based on more than America's ability to repay its debts.
The dollar is still an invaluable part of the world economy. Even if you sold all of your obvious U.S. holdings (like Treasury bonds), you'd likely still hold lots of companies making huge portions of their revenue from the U.S.
And no matter what happens in the headlines or in the markets, there are still plenty of opportunities to make money – with less risk.
The problem is that most of us don't have the time or resources to research thousands of stocks to figure out what's worth our cash. This is one reason individual stock trading is so difficult for average investors.
If you tried to name the top stocks of 2025, you might think of Wall Street's tech darling Nvidia (NVDA), which closed out 2023 and 2024 with triple-digit gains. Or you might recall hearing that Alphabet (GOOGL) had a banner year after shifting its focus to AI.
But neither of them was last year's biggest gainer. Neither of them even made the top 10. Nor did any of the other so-called Magnificent Seven tech stocks (Amazon, Apple, Meta Platforms, Microsoft, and Tesla).
Here's what came out on top instead...
Some of these names might be familiar to you. Others might be completely unknown. And even if you do recognize them, do you know what these companies do and why they had such massive gains last year?
If the answer is no, you're not alone...
Thousands of stocks trade each day on U.S. stock exchanges. Big names like Nvidia and Alphabet dominate the headlines... But a newsworthy story doesn't always equal huge returns.
Nvidia, for example, rose 39% in 2025... compared with 171% gains in 2024 and 239% in 2023. While it's still well above the S&P 500 average, it's nowhere near the returns of the top 10.
The point is, trying to predict which stocks will do the best each year is a fool's game... one you're more likely to lose than win.
I don't like to complicate investing.
At its core, the key to investing should be simple: Buy great businesses at reasonable prices and hold for a long time. It doesn't have to be any more complex than that.
You can find great businesses around you all the time that aren't making the news. It could be the company that provides the technology your business relies on, makes your favorite shoes, or sells the coffee you can't start your day without.
Once you find the right company you want to own, that's where the real work begins. Even the best companies can be lousy investments if you overpay for them.
Here's to our health, wealth, and a great retirement,
Dr. David Eifrig and the Health & Wealth Bulletin Research Team
Editor's note: Having a game plan in today's volatile market will determine your investment success throughout 2026. That's why we're sounding the alarm to unveil our most important idea of the year – one that could help you potentially double your money.
You see, five of Stansberry Research's top experts recently hosted an online presentation to reveal the No. 1 move you must make immediately to grow your wealth. Plus, they shared their full game plan for 2026 – including their top individual stock picks for the year.