SCM Investment Services

07/14/2026

The financial industry makes the most money when you believe investing is scary and complicated.

It isn't.

Strip away the jargon, the hot stock tips, the chaotic trading floors of Wall Street, and the endless market news, and successful investing comes down to a handful of simple, evidence-based habits. We put them into one short video — the Six Smart Steps:

1. Trust the market, not Wall Street
2. Money for now, money for later
3. Pay less, get more
4. More companies, better odds of winning
5. Tune out the headlines
6. Keep doing nothing — on purpose

Not one of these needs a forecast, a guru, or a crystal ball — just the discipline to tune out an industry that profits when you trade, while you profit when you stay the course.

The whole thing runs about two minutes. Watch it and see the detail behind each step: https://scminvesting.com/resources/six-smart-steps/

Educational only; not individualized advice. All investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. Full disclosures: scminvesting.com/disclosure

07/07/2026

You've seen the ads: "it's gotta be a CFP." Except it doesn't have to be.

Those three letters are a certificate that someone cleared a bar — and a low one. (The Board even lets attorneys, CPAs, and finance PhDs skip most of the coursework.) It's a floor, marketed as a ceiling. It's neither a measure of expertise nor an indication of advisor intent (are they really working in your best interest?).

So why does it feel like the standard? Because you've been told so — the Board has reportedly spent $160 million+ on advertising since 2011 to make "it's gotta be a CFP" stick. A genuinely high bar doesn't need that.

What the letters can't tell you is the thing that matters most: how your advisor is paid. Since 2020, CFP pros must act as fiduciaries — but the fine print still allows commissions, as long as they're "disclosed." And disclosing a conflict isn't eliminating one.

Look for the letters if you like. Then ask what actually protects you: are your advisor's conflicts eliminated, or just disclosed?

Full piece → [paste live scminvesting.com post URL]

Informational and educational purposes only; not investment advice. "CFP®" and "CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™" are marks owned by CFP Board. Full disclosures: scminvesting.com/disclaimer.

06/23/2026

Private equity is coming to 401(k)s. It's being sold to you as a gift. It's worth a second look.

A proposed rule would let private equity into everyday retirement plans, and BlackRock has reportedly said it will build it into target-date funds — the default many people never choose.

The pitch is "access to what the wealthy get." The catch: after fees, research finds private equity has roughly matched a plain index fund — while charging about 2% a year plus 20% of profits. A low-cost index fund charges almost nothing.

Full piece → https://scminvesting.com/wall-street-is-having-a-harder-time-selling-private-equity-to-the-wealthy-so-now-it-wants-yo

Informational purposes only; not investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full disclosures: scminvesting.com/disclaimer.

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06/09/2026

Two out of three Americans now say they fear running out of money more than they fear dying — the highest that number has ever been.

If that worry sounds familiar, you're far from alone.
Here's what surprised me when I looked closer: the people who saved well are often just as afraid. A growing share of retirees can't bring themselves to spend the money they spent decades building — not because they can't afford to, but because drawing it down feels like stepping off a ledge.

So the fear was never really about the size of the number. "Do I have enough?" has no floor, which is why the worry has no ceiling. The calmer question is "what will my income actually be, and does it hold up if markets drop or I live to 95?" — and that one has an answer.

The antidote isn't a bigger pile of money you're still afraid to touch. It's a known income floor and a plan you can see.
New on the blog: https://scminvesting.com/two-in-three-of-us-now-fear-outliving-our-money-the-best-savers-are-just-as-afraid/

Informational only; not investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full disclosures: scminvesting.com/disclaimer

06/02/2026

Two things are true at once right now: American consumer confidence just hit its lowest level since the survey began in 1952 — lower than 2008, lower than 2022 — and the stock market is setting record highs.

That feels like it shouldn't happen. And it stirs up a natural instinct: if everyone feels this bad, shouldn't I get more defensive until things settle down?

It's worth pausing on. How we feel about the economy and what the market does are different signals — and the last two times confidence bottomed out, in 2008 and 2022, turned out not to be the worst times to have stayed invested. That's a pattern worth remembering, not a prediction.

The real budget pressure many households feel is genuine — but that's a separate question from the long-term plan.

Full piece → https://scminvesting.com/consumers-have-never-been-gloomier-markets-are-at-record-highs/

Informational purposes only; not investment advice. References to past recoveries are historical and not a guarantee of future results. All investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal. You cannot invest directly in an index. Full disclosures: scminvesting.com/disclaimer.

05/21/2026

One of the most expensive buttons on your brokerage account may be the one labeled sell.

Oil's volatile. SpaceX has reportedly filed for an IPO at a possible $1.75T valuation, OpenAI is reportedly preparing for a listing of its own, and the AI trade itself looks tired. Headlines keep telling you a recession is already here, or already over, depending on the channel.

So you go to cash. Just for a bit. Until things feel clearer.

That instinct — repeated across many accounts — has often been costly for long-term investors. Morningstar's Mind the Gap studies have consistently found an investor-return gap of roughly a percentage point per year over the trailing decade, driven mostly by the timing of cash flows in and out of the market. Compounded over a long retirement horizon, even a small annual gap can become a large lifetime difference.

To be clear, cash is appropriate for spending needs, emergency reserves, and risk management. The behavior gap is about something narrower: using cash as an emotional market-timing tool.

You don't need to predict 2026. You just need a plan that does not depend on knowing what comes next.

Related: my recent post "SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic: What the IPO Headlines Miss" was about chasing performance at the top. This one is its mirror image. Same behavioral bias, opposite directions.

Full piece → https://scminvesting.com/the-most-expensive-button-in-your-brokerage-account/

Informational purposes only; not investment advice. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Full disclosures: scminvesting.com/disclaimer.

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Links:
• https://scminvesting.com/spacex-openai-and-anthropic-what-the-ipo-headlines-miss/

05/07/2026

SpaceX, OpenAI, and Anthropic are gearing up for IPOs—and the hype is building fast. 🚀 But before you rush to buy in on day one, let's look at what the data actually say.

Did you know that over the past 40+ years, IPOs have historically underperformed similar already-public companies? According to research from the University of Florida (1980–2024), that underperformance averages about 2% per year over the first five years.

Think about Facebook’s early stumble or Uber, which still trades near its 2019 listing price. They aren’t bad businesses—they just weren't bargains at launch. 📉

Why does this happen?

The early money is made: Most of the major gains have already been captured by venture and growth equity before retail investors get a chance.

Insiders cash out: Retail demand spikes exactly when early insiders are looking to sell.

Profitability is rare: Roughly 53% of 2025 IPOs are unprofitable.

Forced buying: Updated S&P inclusion rules can make index funds forced buyers at elevated prices.

The good news: An evidence-based portfolio already handles this for you. 💡

Fund managers like Dimensional and Avantis systematically lean away from newly public stocks until their prices and fundamentals settle. You still get exposure to the market's growth—just not at the absolute worst time to buy.

Want to talk through how your portfolio is positioned ahead of these upcoming mega-listings? Get in touch!

👇 Read our full breakdown on the blog:
https://scminvesting.com/spacex-openai-and-anthropic-what-the-ipo-headlines-miss/

12/30/2024

📊 Many believe that the most successful investors meticulously analyze market trends to pinpoint the ideal moments to buy and sell. As a fiduciary financial advisor with 20+ years of experience, I’m here to assure you that this is not true.

👉 Here are three reasons why.

You don’t need to constantly outsmart the market to enjoy investment success. Dejan Ilijevski is a financial advisor at SCM Investment Services in Munster, IN.

12/27/2024

Attempting to time the market can be a risky game. Instead, stay focused on your long-term investment goals and strategies for better financial outcomes.

🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InkwpFRGbOQ&t=2s

https://www.youtube.com/embed?listType=playlist&list=PLTvSbeMpUKwZK8hp1z3T2TgpKnCBYOTV6&layout=gallery

12/25/2024

Season's Greetings! ❄️🎁 As the year comes to a close, we want to thank you for your continued support and partnership. Wishing you and your loved ones a joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year! 🌟✨