The Confident Chronicles: August 3, 2026
In this edition:
The Bottom Line
July Rollercoaster Ride
Looking Ahead
Did you know?
Plan Confidence Model Updates
Disclosures
The Bottom Line:
July gave us a front-row seat to the market's favorite game: making a lot of noise while continuing to march forward.
Both stocks and bonds experienced some sharp twists and turns this past month as investors wrestled with shifting interest rate expectations and economic data. Yet, beneath the daily ups and downs, the underlying economy and America's top companies remain remarkably resilient.
The lesson?
A bumpy ride is just part of the journey.
Sticking to your long-term plan and keeping your blinders on to the daily headlines is how long-term wealth is actually built.
We're watching the markets closely so you don't have to!
July: Rollercoaster Ride
If you checked your retirement account statements or watched the financial news during July, you probably felt like Mr. Market had drunk way too much espresso.
One week, bond yields and interest rate jitters had everyone on edge.
The next week, stronger-than-expected corporate earnings gave stocks a strong push upward. Every few days, a brand-new headline popped up designed to make investors second-guess their portfolios.
It reminds me of driving down a busy highway in July in Florida when a sudden summer squall hits. The wipers go on high speed. Visibility drops for a mile or two. You grip the steering wheel a little tighter.
Then, just as quickly, the clouds break and the sun is out again.
That’s exactly what July felt like for your investments.
While the financial media obsessed over every daily wiggle in stocks and bonds, the actual companies inside your 401(k) kept doing what they always do: going to work, serving customers, and growing their businesses.
Solid corporate earnings continued to anchor the market, proving once again that strong fundamentals matter far more than day-to-day anxiety.
By the end of the month, despite the July volatility, the markets showed remarkable backbone.
It’s an important reminder: noise is temporary, but business progress is permanent.
If you stayed the course and followed our recommendations, give yourself a pat on the back.
You did exactly what successful, level-headed investors do.
The headlines will always give you a reason to worry; your long-term strategy is your reason to stay calm.
Looking Ahead: What we’ll be watching in August
As we turn the calendar from July into August, we're keeping our radar locked on three key areas:
1. Interest Rates & the Federal Reserve: Wall Street is still trying to read tea leaves on what the Fed will do next. Expect every hint or whisper from central bankers to cause short-term ripples in both stocks and bonds.
2. Economic Resilience: We're watching how hard-working Americans and businesses are handling higher borrowing costs. So far, the consumer has been remarkably tough, and corporate earnings have held their ground.
3. Summer Market Trading Volumes: August can sometimes bring lower trading volume across Wall Street, which occasionally makes the market feel a bit more jumpy than usual on light news, so I expect another “bumpy” month ahead.
Remember: short-term volatility is the price of admission for long-term growth.
I firmly believe that solid earnings and fundamental strength will win out over summer headlines.
As always, we’re watching the markets... so you don’t have to.
Did you know?
There's a secret ingredient in almost every retirement millionaire's story, and it's not what you think.
It's not picking the perfect stock. It's not timing the market. It's not even having a huge salary.
Its consistency compounded over time!
You don't need to be a Wall Street genius to retire well.
You just need to start, stay consistent, and give your money enough time to do its thing.
Every paycheck, every contribution, every month... it adds up more than you think.
PLAN CONFIDENCE MODEL UPDATES:
FUTURE CONTRIBUTIONS:
Future contributions are monies that are added to your plan with every paycheck.
We monitor the future contributions monthly and are looking to direct these monies into investments that we hope to be “on sale” for the next 30 days.
If we are correct, this will allow you to buy more shares in your portfolio.
This month we are advising that you use the following:
· (Bonds) Convertible Bonds
· (Stocks) Foreign Large Growth
· (Stocks) Small Blend
“Future Contributions” are an optional feature in Plan Confidence, and you may or may not receive this advice.
Please discuss this with your advisor if you have any questions.
The exact amounts you should allocate depend on the model that you are using.
These categories may or may not be available in your plan. If they are not available in your plan, we will recommend the closest available asset class and label it as a “proxy”.
You can find all substitutions on your “Proxy Page” within your dashboard.
Please log into your Participant Dashboard to see the exact allocations you should be using as of today.
CURRENT ALLOCATIONS - STRATEGIC MODELS:
Current Allocations are the monies currently in your plan.
Making changes to this money is commonly known as a “rebalance”.
Our “Strategic Models” combine the benefits of asset allocation and “buy and hold” strategies.
These models rebalance quarterly back to their risk “targets” and remain fully invested through all market cycles.
Our Strategic Models rebalance the first trading day of every quarter.
Strategic Models – NO CHANGES - UPDATED (07/01/2026)
Please talk to your adviser if you have any questions.
CURRENT ALLOCATIONS - TACTICAL MODELS:
Current Allocations are the monies currently in your plan.
Making changes to this money is known as a “rebalance”.
Some plans have trading restrictions on how often you can rebalance the money in your plan. Be sure to know your plan’s restrictions before implementing any tactical strategies.
Our “Tactical Models” combine the benefits of asset allocation and “momentum investing” strategies. These models rebalance periodically back to their risk “targets” and the targets can be changed at any time given the current market conditions.
These models may go through periods of time while holding larger amounts of cash than the Strategic Models.
Our Tactical Models may rebalance on any given day.
Please be sure to look for an email from support@planconfidence.com letting you know when to make changes.
Tactical Models Last UPDATED TODAY 08/04/2026
Below are the new model allocations:
Below is a comparison chart between showing the changes in the new models:
The exact amounts you should allocate depend on the model that you are using.
These categories may or may not be available in your plan. If they are not available in your plan, we will recommend the closest available asset class and label it as a “proxy”.
You can find all substitutions on your “Proxy Page” within your dashboard.
Please log into your Participant Dashboard to see the exact allocations you should be using as of the last rebalance advice.
Please talk to your adviser if you have any questions.
This update has been written by Kevin T Clark, RF™.
All opinions expressed are those of the author and not that of Plan Confidence Corporation nor any other firm or individual.
Kevin T Clark, RF™ is the CEO and Co-founder of Plan Confidence Corporation.
Kevin is an “ERISA Nerd” and one of only a hundred(ish) Dalbar certified Registered Fiduciaries (RF™) in the United States.
He has been helping hard working Americans invest their money since 1997!
Plan Confidence Corporation is an SEC registered “internet only” investment firm specializing in providing advice to hard-working Americans investing in their employer’s retirement plans (401k, 403b, TSP, etc).
They have created proprietary software so hard-working Americans can receive professional, ongoing advice on their employer’s retirement plan from an adviser of their choosing!
PlanConfidence believes that EVERY 401(k) participant should be getting professional, ongoing advice from an adviser of their choosing!
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