Liberal media, conservative media, mainstream media—at the end of the day, all media outlets that operate for profit share one common goal: selling advertising. Their revenue depends on being able to tell advertisers, “We can get your ad in front of X million people in the XX age range who will love your product!”
So how do these media outlets keep their numbers high? Two tried-and-true methods: selling sex (think The UK Daily Mail) and selling fear. Right now, we’re deep in an “insane” cycle of fear-based marketing, and it’s more prevalent than ever.
Recently, a client sent me an opinion piece from The New York Times (March 24th) titled Your Retirement Portfolio Is Like Kindling. Trump Just Lit a Match. Well, what a great way to start the day—with a big dose of fear!
But let’s take a step back. Who wrote this? William Cohan, a founding partner of Puck and a former Wall Street banker. Not exactly a household name. A little research reveals that Puck is a daily digital news and opinion platform. In other words, he’s in the opinion business. He’s also a former correspondent for Vanity Fair—wonder if he ever attended those big, glamorous parties? But we digress.
Cohan does make a valid point about the S&P 500 being dominated by just seven companies. But let’s be real—this has been happening for a while. When those stocks are soaring, no one’s complaining. So why frame it as a financial apocalypse now?
Because fear sells. That’s why The New York Times published his piece—to incite fear among readers, drive engagement, and keep the advertising machine running. And the ripple effect? Clients panicking, running to their financial advisors (who, by the way, are humans just like them, without crystal balls or inside information), and asking if they should move everything to cash.
This is happening all day, every day—regardless of the source. The key to maintaining financial sanity? Be selective about what you listen to and why. Tune out the noise. Living in a constant state of fear is unhealthy, unproductive, and, frankly, unnecessary. Our advice? Take a deep breath, focus on long-term strategies, and don’t let fear dictate your financial decisions.