Clear Trail Advisors

A client asked us a good question recently. We have not had a multi-year, painful bear market in close to 17 years. Will we get another one? The honest answer is that bear markets have historically been a part of long-term market cycles, and stretches of relative market stability can be the right time to have that conversation.

In his recent post, Matt Price explores what a real bear market looks like, why now is a good time to think about it, and how thoughtful planning before a downturn can be meaningful for clients in and near retirement.

Read the full post: https://cleartrailadvisors.com/blog/when-the-tide-goes-out/

Retirement planning is one of the most important financial journeys you will take, and the assumptions you carry into it matter. Some of the most common beliefs about retirement spending, Social Security, healthcare, and saving can contribute to gaps in a plan that are harder to address later on.

Swipe through to explore a few misconceptions we hear often and some important considerations to keep in mind as you plan. If any of these resonate or raise questions about your own plan, we would love to start a conversation. Reach out to our team: https://cleartrailadvisors.com/contact-us/.

Back in January, we shared ten themes for how we were thinking about markets and investing in 2026. Now halfway through the year, it is worth taking a look at how those themes are actually unfolding. Some have developed as anticipated, some are still developing, and the first half brought a few surprises worth noting.

These themes are a framework for building diversified portfolios, not predictions about where markets will end up. Matt Price shares the full mid-year progress report at the link below.

🔗 https://cleartrailadvisors.com/blog/six-months-in-how-our-2026-themes-are-holding-up/

Couldn't join us live? The replay from our recent webinar is now available: https://vimeo.com/1216110558?autoplay=1&muted=1&stream_id=Y2xpcHN8MjQyODYzODA4fGlkOmRlc2N8W10%3D

Featured guest speaker Kevin Simpson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Capital Wealth Planning (CWP), sat down with Matt Price to review the income-oriented dividend stock strategy Clear Trail has utilized on behalf of clients for the past decade. The conversation covered the role of dividend stocks in today's investing environment, the use of covered call income as a retirement income consideration, the investment process behind the CWP Enhanced Dividend strategy, CWP's outlook for dividend paying stocks, and how the strategy approaches downside risk management.

Last week, 42 families and 126 kids from Matt Price's church spent a week together at Young Life's Trail West family camp in Buena Vista, Colorado. Frisbee golf, hiking, horseback riding, pool time, meals eaten outside together. No calendars, no screens — just a lot of families slowing down at the same time.

It's a reminder of what we try to do at Clear Trail Advisors. A good financial plan isn't only about the plan — it's about helping families be more present with each other.

The best weeks, like the best retirements, come from the same thing: a little bit of planning that can help families enjoy the moment.

Bonds have had anything but a quiet few years. From zero interest rates during COVID to the fastest hiking cycle in four decades, and now the possibility of a rate hike back on the table for late 2026, the fixed income market has been anything but predictable.

Matt Price breaks down why high-quality bonds still play a critical role in a retirement portfolio, where credit spreads stand today, and what higher interest rates actually mean for income opportunities going forward.

Read the full post: https://cleartrailadvisors.com/blog/bonds-have-been-anything-but-boring/

There are periods where this strategy leads and periods where it lags. We are not making a prediction about what other investors will do or when markets will reward or punish any given category. We do not think that is a helpful exercise as families approach and walk through retirement.

The case we are making is this: when a company can raise its dividend consistently year after year, a lot of good things have to be true about that business. Real cash flow. Disciplined management. A competitive position that is holding up. A growing dividend is more of a report card than a sales pitch. We focus on what the companies are doing, not what the market happens to think about them on a given Tuesday.

We also think retirement is fundamentally a cash flow exercise. You stop working, and something has to replace that income. Dividend growth investing fits naturally into that picture in a way that chasing price appreciation alone may not.

The recording from our recent virtual event on long-term cognitive health is now available to watch at your convenience.

Join Clear Trail Advisors and featured speaker Danielle Mitchell for a science-backed conversation on protecting your cognitive health for the years ahead. From the role of nutrition and supplements to the surprising connections between sleep, stress, and brain aging, this session is packed with actionable insights you can start applying today.

Watch the full recording: https://vimeo.com/1192328138?autoplay=1&muted=1&stream_id=Y2xpcHN8MjQyODYzODA4fGlkOmRlc2N8W10%3D

For those of you who have been to our office, there is a good chance you have seen this painting hanging in our conference room. George Washington, kneeling beside his horse. It has been there since we moved into our permanent office space earlier this year.

America turns 250 later this week, and this painting represents a lot of what we have to be thankful for as a country. Washington kneeling in that scene is not a man celebrating a victory. It is a man in a moment of dependence, asking for something he could not provide for himself.

We founded Clear Trail Advisors with faith, family, and freedom at the forefront of our minds. The faith to trust what is out of our hands. The importance of the families we serve and the family we come from. And the tremendous freedom we have in this country because our founding fathers were willing to kneel for something bigger than themselves.

On this special occasion, we are grateful for our country, and also the personal and professional trust that our valued clients have placed in our firm.

From all of us at Clear Trail Advisors, happy 4th of July.