As previously mentioned, I'm w/a big Wall Street firm. Here's an e-mail that I recently received.

As mentioned, I have limitations on what I can write here, but I think this is ok. Even though I have political opinions, I am not taking a political position in response to this question.

Here's an e-mail that I just received from a client and my reply.

The client is not a Trump supporter, but was a high-level officer of a non-publicly traded company. I consider this person to be highly intelligent and generally level-headed. We get along quite well, although we don't talk much politics. However, they have put themselves in a bit of a pickle, because, in my view, they retired too early and spent way too much, leaving them without a lot of savings relative to what they previously had.

Just to be clear, I am not mocking or making fun of this person. I think it was a good idea for them to reach out to me. Obviously, I don't know what the financial markets may or may not do, or why things may be good or bad. Anyone not comfortable with their risk levels, for whatever reason, should have a conversation about their concerns, and consider making some adjustments.

Client: What is (your firm's) position right now on the volatility of the stock market? I'm hearing rumors about Trump's tariff threats setting us up for a crash. What say you?

As you know, I've never been one to panic, but I think he and Musk are lunatics. I can't afford to have my meager investments wiped out.

Me: Thank you for taking my call.

Just to quantify the volatility of your current holdings, your present standard deviation is 12.4 and your risk profile is a 4. As you know, risk can be good or bad, depending on what happens.

Just to quantify those numbers, standard deviation pertains to the likely volatility of an investment portfolio. The scale ranges from 0 (doesn't really move) to 20+ (more volatile). Your current numbers can be described as "moderately aggressive", in my view, and that corresponds with our internal risk profiling numbers, where 1 is conservative, 5 is aggressive, and your number is a 4, which again is moderately aggressive, and those standard deviation numbers do align with your risk profile numbers.

If you'd care to have me try to reduce your risk numbers, let me know. Obviously, the markets can go up and down, a little or a lot, for a variety of reasons, so if we reach or are at the point where you would prefer to reduce volatility, and of course that cuts both ways, let me know and I can make some adjustments.

Disclaimer: The preceding is presented for the purposes of education regarding portfolio volatility, and casual conversation. It is not a "call to action", nor is it a recommendation for or against securities, an offer to buy or sell securities, or a solicitation.