It feels like everyone has an opinion these days. Opinions about the markets, the economy, politics, or the “state of the country.” Most of those opinions sound certain. Turn on the news, scroll through social media, or chat with friends at dinner, and you’ll hear people talk about what’s going to happen next with a kind of uneasy confidence.
But here’s the truth: nobody knows.
And that’s okay.
I’ll admit, I hesitated to write this. Not because I don’t have thoughts, but because it’s hard to talk about the world today without being misunderstood. Everyone seems to be on edge, and honest reflection can sound like criticism. But lately, I’ve had more clients tell me they’re worried, not about their portfolios, but about the direction of the country. It feels like the ground is shifting beneath us. Maybe it is. Still, I think there’s some value in pausing to look at what’s really happening and what it all might mean.
Think about how much has transformed in just a couple of decades.
Smartphones have replaced newspapers. Social media has replaced conversation. Anyone, anywhere, can film an event, publish an opinion, and reach millions of people within minutes. The flow of information has become a flood.
We live in a world where opinions spread faster than facts, and emotion often travels farther than truth. Algorithms feed us what we already believe, and we end up surrounded by voices that sound just like ours reinforcing our fears, frustrations, and assumptions.
Add to that a generational “changing of the guard.” Baby boomers, who have led many of our institutions for decades, are gradually passing the baton to millennials and Gen Z. These younger generations see the world differently. Their priorities, values, and even communication styles diverge from what came before. That handoff is always bumpy. And every generation faced a moment when it feels like the world has shifted without asking permission.
When things move this fast, it’s easy to feel like everything familiar is slipping away. But much of that anxiety comes from something deeply human… our need for certainty. We want to believe someone, somewhere, knows what’s coming next. That the experts or leaders have it under control.
But if the past few decades have taught us anything, from recessions to pandemics to political turmoil, it’s that no one really does. We are living in an era where the pace of change is too fast and the connections between things are too complex for anyone to fully predict.
And yet, uncertainty isn’t new. It just feels louder now because it’s everywhere, all at once, on every screen we own.
Here’s another odd truth about human nature: pessimism often sounds smarter than optimism. When someone predicts that things will go wrong, we assume they must know something the rest of us don’t. Optimists, on the other hand, can seem naïve, like they’re ignoring reality. But history shows that progress has almost always come from people who have refused to give in to cynicism. The world has plenty of critics; what it needs are builders, problem-solvers, and people willing to believe things can get better.
Consider where things might be headed.
Digital currencies are reshaping how we think about money and power. Artificial intelligence is changing how we work, learn, and even think. The global economy is simultaneously connected and fractured. We can send money and information around the world in seconds, but we can’t always agree on what’s true.
We’re entering a time where the old playbooks don’t quite fit, whether in business, politics, or in our daily life. And it’s natural to feel uneasy about that. Change always feels chaotic while it’s happening. But chaos and progress are often two sides of the same coin.
If you look back, every generation has had its moments of doubt.
In the 1960s, it was social upheaval and fears of nuclear war.
In the 1930s, the Great Depression and global instability.
In the 1860s, the country literally tore itself apart.
And even before that, the baton pass wasn’t smooth. The Greatest Generation, shaped by the Depression and World War II, often saw the baby boomers as ungrateful, idealistic, and reckless. Yet that same generation went on to lead one of the most prosperous and innovative periods in modern history.
The same tension we feel today between old and new, familiar and foreign, has been here before. Each time, we adapt, rebuild, and find our balance again.
Progress isn’t linear, and it’s rarely smooth. Things often get worse before they get better. But better does come.
So where does that leave us today?
We can’t stop the pace of change. We can’t quiet every voice or predict what’s next. But we can decide how we show up in the face of it. We can stay curious instead of cynical. We can stay informed without being consumed. We can control our choices, our time, and who we spend our time with, the things that have always mattered most.
That’s true whether we’re talking about life, money, or the future of the country. None of us know what’s ahead, but we can build resilience and adaptability into our plans, financial or otherwise.
“Nobody knows” can sound pessimistic. But I think it’s just the opposite. It’s an acknowledgment that life doesn’t come with guarantees, and that’s what makes life interesting.
Because when we let go of the illusion that anyone has it all figured out, we stop reacting out of fear and start responding with intention. That’s when real progress begins.
Maybe the future will look different. Messier, more digital, more divided at times. But we’ve been here before, in different forms, and we’ve always found our way through.
The future has always belonged to those willing to build it. Even when nobody knew exactly where it was headed.
In the meantime, we can do what people have always done when faced with uncertainty: stay curious, guard against cynicism, and focus on what we can actually control. That’s how we move forward — one steady, intentional step at a time.