Fusion Family Wealth LLC

10/13/2026

Five years ago, the narrative was clear: public markets were shrinking, innovation was staying private, and investors who limited themselves to stocks were "missing the future."

Today, many of those same voices are directing capital back into public equities. The emphasis has shifted from exclusivity to liquidity, from access to transparency.

The underlying facts barely changed. What changed was the story, and which facts were being emphasized.

Hamilton Lane, one of the world's leading private-market investment firms, recently acknowledged that private equity had underperformed almost all of the public benchmarks it examined over one-, three-, and five-year periods. That underperformance held even after removing the Magnificent Seven from the S&P 500.

We see a behavioral pattern here that we've observed throughout our career: when an investment is working, we hear more reasons to own it. When it stops working, we hear more reasons to own something else.

In behavioral psychology, this is known as framing bias. And it is closely tied to affinity bias: the tendency to buy investments not because they are appropriate for us, but because they are owned by people we admire or aspire to become.

The next time you hear a compelling investment narrative, it is worth asking: am I drawn to this because it improves my plan, or because I am afraid of missing someone else's opportunity? We explored this pattern and the behavioral takeaways in depth on our blog.



Please Note: No individual has been provided nor promised any direct or indirect economic benefit for sharing Fusion podcasts/articles/opinions. No post should be construed as any assurance that a reader will find the podcast/article/opinion beneficial.

Please see Fusion Family Wealth Website for important disclosure information.

The Narrative Trap

The Narrative Trap. The Story Changes. The Bias Doesn't

10/09/2026

The real danger to long-term wealth isn't volatility. It's the behavior volatility can trigger.
In this week's Fix It Friday, I tackle two fears that never seem to go away: recession predictions and the death of the dollar. Both generate endless headlines. Neither should drive an investment strategy.



Please Note: No individual has been provided nor promised any direct or indirect economic benefit for sharing Fusion podcasts/articles/opinions. No post should be construed as any assurance that a reader will find the podcast/article/opinion beneficial.

Please see Fusion Family Wealth Website
for important disclosure information.

Jonathan Blau breaks down two of the most persistent fears in investing and explains why reacting to them often causes more harm than good.

09/25/2026

Everyone loves the idea of investing like Yale University.
But here's the paradox: Yale is an endowment. You're not.
Endowments receive ongoing donations, grants, and outside capital. Families and retirees typically don't. That means they're solving a very different problem.
In this week's Fix It Friday, I explore why copying institutional portfolios, with alternatives, tactical asset allocation (shifting investments based on economic or market forecasts), and other endowment strategies, may not be the best path for families seeking to preserve and grow wealth.
The goal isn't to invest like Yale.
The goal is to build a portfolio designed for the challenges you face: inflation, uncertainty, and human behavior.




Please Note: No individual has been provided nor promised any direct or indirect economic benefit for sharing Fusion podcasts/articles/opinions. No post should be construed as any assurance that a reader will find the podcast/article/opinion beneficial

This episode explores the Ivy Portfolio and the appeal of investing like Yale.

09/11/2026

A client recently asked:

"The market has averaged about 15% a year over the past six years. Doesn't that mean the next six years will likely be worse?"

It's a smart question and one that highlights a common behavioral investing trap.
This week's Fix It Friday explores why past performance doesn't necessarily predict future results, and how investors often make costly decisions by assuming it does.

🎙️ Tune in to hear more.



Please Note: No individual has been provided nor promised any direct or indirect economic benefit for sharing Fusion podcasts/articles/opinions. No post should be construed as any assurance that a reader will find the podcast/article/opinion beneficial.

Please see Fusion Family Wealth Website
for important disclosure information.

Fix It Friday Ep. 32 - Patterns Aren’t Predictions: The Extrapolation Mistake

This episode explores one of the most common behavioral investing mistakes: extrapolation.

08/28/2026

Fix It Friday Ep. 31 - Flying, Driving, Investing….and Availability Bias

Are you more afraid of flying or driving?
Most people say flying.

Yet statistically, flying is far safer than driving.
In the latest Fix It Friday episode of the Crazy Wealthy Podcast, we explore a powerful concept known as availability bias: our tendency to overestimate risks that are vivid, memorable, and constantly in the headlines while overlooking the more probable risks that quietly affect us over time. The same thing happens in investing.
Market volatility grabs our attention. Headlines, selloffs, and daily fluctuations make us uncomfortable. But discomfort is not the same as danger.

As we discuss in this episode Turbulence doesn't mean the plane is crashing. Market volatility doesn't mean your financial plan is failing.

The greater long-term risk may be inflation quietly eroding purchasing power over decades.
Successful investing often requires looking beyond today's headlines and focusing on long-term probabilities rather than short-term emotions.

Here’s the Fix:
"The goal isn't a smooth ride. It's arriving safely at your destination."

If recent market volatility has you wondering whether you're reacting to headlines or following a long-term plan, this episode is for you.
Listen now and let us know: What's one financial risk that you think investors tend to overestimate?




Please Note: No individual has been provided nor promised any direct or indirect economic benefit for sharing Fusion podcasts/articles/opinions. No post should be construed as any assurance that a reader will find the podcast/article/opinion beneficial.

Please see Fusion Family Wealth Website
for important disclosure information.

This episode explores how availability bias causes investors to confuse temporary market volatility with true financial risk.

08/07/2026

Most people think a fiduciary advisor's job is to act in a client's best interest.
That's true. But I believe that's only half the job.

The other half is helping clients act in their own best interest when markets become volatile and emotions take over.

Fear tells us to sell. Greed and Envy tell us to chase what's working. Headlines convince us we need to do something.
But some of the best investment decisions you'll ever make involve doing nothing at all.

The highest form of fiduciary advice isn't simply recommending the right portfolio or financial plan. It's helping people develop the discipline to stick with a good plan when it's hardest to do so.

As Benjamin Graham famously observed:
"The investor's chief problem, and even his worst enemy, is likely to be himself."

That's the focus of this week's Fix It Friday episode of the Crazy Wealthy Podcast.
Investment success is often less about what you own and more about how you behave.


Please Note: No individual has been provided nor promised any direct or indirect economic benefit for sharing Fusion podcasts/articles/opinions. No post should be construed as any assurance that a reader will find the podcast/article/opinion beneficial.

Please see Fusion Family Wealth Website
for important disclosure information.

jFix It Friday Ep. 30 - The Missing Half of Fiduciary Advice

This episode explores the often-overlooked side of fiduciary advice: helping investors consistently act in their own best interests.

07/24/2026

Fix It Friday Ep. 29 - Behavioral Investment Counseling: Interesting to Learn… Life‑Changing to Live
Most investors spend their time looking for the next market prediction, the next winning investment, or the next economic forecast.
But what if the pursuit of those things is exactly what gets investors into trouble?
In this week's Fix It Friday, I explore a simple but powerful truth: your behavior matters far more than your forecast.
We discuss the difference between temporary market volatility and the permanent risk of inflation, why chasing performance can derail long-term results, and how a disciplined plan helps investors stay on track when uncertainty strikes.
🎙️ The key takeaway: Markets don't determine your outcome nearly as much as your behavior does.
The market will test your portfolio. Life will test your plan. But in the end, the greatest determinant of success is how you respond to both.

Investment Counseling


Please Note: No individual has been provided nor promised any direct or indirect economic benefit for sharing Fusion podcasts/articles/opinions. No post should be construed as any assurance that a reader will find the podcast/article/opinion beneficial.

Please see Fusion Family Wealth Website
for important disclosure information.

Why behavioral investment counseling can be the difference between simply understanding investing and achieving lasting financial success.

07/17/2026

A few weeks ago, several clients asked me whether they should buy SpaceX after the IPO.
My answer wasn't really about SpaceX. It was about process.
I shared research showing that, historically, IPOs have underperformed the broader stock market. I also reminded clients that no financial plan succeeds or fails because of a single hot stock.
One client later asked if he should buy more after the stock had already surged. My response:
"You can afford to speculate a little, but your plan will never pivot on the presence or absence of any IPO. Keep your eye on the prize."
Today, SpaceX has fallen below its IPO price. That doesn't prove the advice was right. And if the stock doubles tomorrow, the advice would still be the same.
Investing success isn't about finding the next big thing. It's about consistently owning great businesses, staying diversified, and allowing compounding to work for decades.
The goal isn't to maximize returns.
The goal is to maximize the probability of achieving your goals.
The media celebrates moonshots. History celebrates discipline.
The greatest threat to long-term wealth is often not missing the next big winner—it's abandoning a proven compounding strategy in the pursuit of one. 🚀


Please Note: No individual has been provided nor promised any direct or indirect economic benefit for sharing Fusion podcasts/articles/opinions. No post should be construed as any assurance that a reader will find the podcast/article/opinion beneficial.

Please see Fusion Family Wealth Website
for important disclosure information.