Hi Reader,

When I was 26, I worked at a large investment bank in the City of London.

One Friday, I’d finally tidied up my finances and felt genuinely proud.

“I finally have a plan,” I told myself. On Monday, I’d start investing.

Then at 7pm, the news dropped.

“Brexit confirmed - UK is exiting the EU”.

I remember thinking:
“Monday is going to be messy”.

And it was.

Monday morning, a senior manager rushed onto the floor, panicked:

“Markets are going wild - be ready.”
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Phones were off the hook.
All sprinted to their desks.
TV screens were flashing red.

“Prepare for a ton of trading activity”, I heard.

That week was brutal.

Sadness. Anger. Adrenaline. Noise.

And most importantly? I got overwhelmed.

Not “confused” in a logical way, but overwhelmed in a human way:

too much urgency, too many inputs, not enough capacity.

So my “Monday investing plan” quietly… disappeared.

Not because I didn’t care.
Not because I wasn’t capable.

But because overwhelm tends to create the same pattern in most high-achievers:

That week taught me a lesson I still use with clients today:

There can only be one thing on the Overwhelmed Boat: you, or the financial news.

Financial headlines are designed to grab attention.

Behavioural science explains that losses tend to feel about ~2x more painful than equivalent gains, so your brain treats scary market moves as urgent threats, even when your long-term plan hasn’t changed.

When markets get noisy - red screens, dramatic headlines, hot takes about what to buy or sell - overwhelm doesn’t usually make you pick the wrong investment.

It makes you do something worse:

• Freeze: “I’ll start when things calm down.” (You don’t.)
• Over-check: refresh prices, read more, spiral. (Not invest.)
• React: make a one-off emotional move to feel in control. (Typicall sell.)

DALBAR tracks this behaviour gap annually. For example, in 2024 the Average Equity Investor earned 16.54% vs the S&P 500’s 25.02% - a gap of 848 basis points largely attributed to behaviour such as missing rebounds, mistiming decisions.

So here’s the rule I use for myself and my clients:

In an overwhelmed week, we focus on one thing: investing consistency.

Not perfect timing.
Not finding “the best ETF.”
Not predicting the market.

Just this:

Set your automatic monthly investment - and let your Wealth Operating system do the heavy lifting.

Because consistency is what turns investing into something you do, not something you keep meaning to do.

Here’s how get off the Overwhelmed Boat, without becoming a finance nerd:

Step 1. Label the overwhelm (so it drops driving)

Say this: “I’m overwhelmed. That’s a state, not a strategy.”

Then write this: "My only goal is investing consistency."

In this state, more information rarely helps. Less pressure does.

Step 2. Set your Default Investment

Overwhelm thrives on re-deciding. Your Wealth Operating System needs a default.

Pick one diversified, long-term option you can stick with (and stop shopping around in noisy weeks).

Write it as a simple rule:

“My default investment is: __________.”

“When headlines are loud, I still buy my default.”

Your goal is momentum, not perfection.

Step 3. Make less decisions

Consistency needs a system, not motivation.

Choose a monthly number that won’t create stress, and automate it.

Set: €___ / month on the ___ of each month.
If you’re restarting, make it almost too easy. Even €50/month is enough to rebuild the habit.

Overwhelm is often “too many open loops.” Close most of them.

Step 4. Create your Headline Rule

Decide your response before the next chaotic week arrives.

Choose one:

• 72-hour rule: no investing decisions within 72 hours of scary news
• One-check rule: check your portfolio once per month, not daily
• Rebalance-only rule: you only change allocations during planned rebalancing

Save it as a note titled: My Headline Rule.

Once you have a default investment + an automated amount + a headline rule, you’re no longer relying on mood or markets.

You’re relying on a system.

Most people try to solve overwhelm by pushing harder or learning more.

But overwhelm isn’t a knowledge problem. It’s a capacity problem.

The solution is a simple framework, a realistic plan, and accountability.

If you want help building a calm investing system that fits your real life, book a free Wealth Clarity Call here:

👉🏽 Get a wealth breakthrough in 40 mins​

P.S. If you're not ready for a call, reply with “BLUEPRINT” and I’ll send my Global Investing Blueprint, built for forward thinkers who want financial clarity and growth without the overwhelm.

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Have a great week,
​Sanam