This week I was scheduled to write a market update. The short version is that in 2020 it was down a lot, then up a lot, and, and as a result, now down a little for the year. (For more thoughts on the market and if it’s a good time to invest, you can watch a reply of our 23/10 webcast from last week here.)

But in light of everything that’s going on in the country, it felt appropriate to go in another direction.

Like many of you, I’ve spent the last week watching the events unfolding in our country wondering what can I do?

Below are some thoughts from Cordant’s Founder, William Anfuso, that he previously shared on LinkedIn. If, like me, you find yourself wondering what you can do, consider starting here.

—

One of the most practical ways I can battle injustice is to identify and stop the ways in which I am carrying it out personally. If you believe change starts at the individual level, ask yourself this question with me.

In what ways do I treat the behavior of one individual differently than the same behavior in another individual?

Answers can range from the subtle to the not so subtle.

My concern with top-down or systemic thinking alone is that it doesn’t change things fast enough and can get hijacked easily. Sustainable productive change will always begin with one individual and move into a group of individuals and on from there.

At a minimum, let’s change ourselves and not be hypocrites looking to change others first. From there if you want to put your money where your mouth is, it’s much easier to make changes at a local level than a federal level. So, if it’s just talk then keep talking, but if change is really what your after then make a sustainable effort and stick with it. A month from now, a year from now, 10 years from now what will you have done to contribute to the change you think is absolutely critical.

—

Isaac again: If you are inclined to explore this further, as I am, here are some helpful resources and reading that I’ve come across in the past week.

This blog post from Salt Lake City-based software engineer Jowanza Joseph: How Racism Shapes My Habits

Tech Oregon has a list of Anti-Racist Resources

For industry folks, the CFP board has a Racial Diversity in Financial Planning report.