Dalton Campbell

09/02/2026

This Monthly Recap summarizes market performance, major events and news from August 2026. Read more here:

U.S. stocks returned to gains in August after the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite both ended negative the prior two months while the Dow Industrials capped a…

08/31/2026

What will this week's economic data mean for rate hike odds?
Join Chief Market Strategist Brian Klimke on this week's episode of as he breaks down key reports on manufacturing, services, employment, and Friday's closely watched jobs report. With the Fed meeting just two weeks away, markets will be looking to see whether the data strengthens or weakens the case for another hike.

“Cetera Financial Group” refers to the network of independent retail firms encompassing, among others, Cetera Advisors LLC, Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, Cetera Investment Services LLC (marketed as Cetera Financial Institutions or Cetera Investors), and Cetera Financial Specialists LLC. All firms...

08/24/2026

My wife and I are expecting our second child!

I remember what life was like in my 20s before having kids....

I could outwork anyone. I had minimal expenses or responsibilities.

The answer was "yes" to anything business related.

Kids are the best gift that God can give, but building a financial services business from the beginning is exponentially harder for a 30-something year old with kids than for a 25 year old, well, kid...

One of the best decisions I made in my 20s was taking the future seriously before I really had to.

I worked a lot.

I invested a lot.

I focused heavily on building my business.

At the time, I didn’t have kids.

I had more freedom, more energy, and fewer people depending on me.

So instead of feeling like I had all the time in the world, I tried to use that season of life for what it was to me.

My thinking was always that I didn’t want to spend my 30s and 40s playing catch-up.

I didn’t want to be behind on retirement or desperately trying to grow a business.

And I definitely didn’t want to be doing all of that at the exact same time I’m trying to raise a family.

Now that I’m a dad, I understand and appreciate why that mattered.

Time feels different now.

I’m less interested in working every available hour and more interested in having control over those hours.

And because of the way I lived my life in my 20s, I have more control over those hours today.

I still work hard.

But I’m grateful that some of the groundwork was already laid before this season of life began.

There’s a time to push and a time to enjoy what that pushing created.

For me, my 20s were largely about building.

My 30s and 40s are about continuing to grow in every area of my life without missing out on the life I was building for in the first place.

This is what worked for me.

I knew at 23 when I got into the business that I had such an advantage to be able to scale my business without distraction, so I capitalized on that.

I get the opportunity every year to speak with college students at my alma mater and I always make it a point to encourage them to build the foundation when they have the least amount of friction.

Now at almost 34, I thank God every day for that friction.

If you're in your 20s and ever want to talk about your goals.. I'd love to be a resource for you!

08/20/2026

What role does yield play in long-term investment success?
The Cetera Investment Management Team's latest Market Commentary, Reap What You Sow: Cultivating Yield for Long-Term Returns, explores how dividends, interest income, and reinvestment have historically contributed to portfolio growth and why today’s higher-rate environment may create new opportunities for investors.
Read the full commentary:

Every great harvest begins with a single seed. The vibrant assortment of fruits and vegetables at your local farmer’s market is the result of careful planning,…

08/20/2026

Read the latest issue of Financial Watch here:

Changing jobs is exciting, but it can also leave financial loose ends overlooked amid the transition, like an old 401(k) or an approaching vesting date. In…

08/19/2026

I saw another financial advisor recently who has been in the business for decades and runs a very successful practice.

As I was leaving, I noticed him pull away in a completely ordinary, older sedan.

It made me feel not so alone in my conservative spending habits.

It made me think about something I value more and more over the years:

Financial margin matters, and it not only keeps my family secure but it makes me a better financial advisor. Simple as that.

And I bet it makes him an amazing advisor, too.

One of the keys to my success as a young advisor has been my positive attitude and ability to be open-minded with clients, no matter what the economy was doing.

When markets are doing well, it's easy for all of us to become a little too comfortable.

Income is good.

Investment accounts are growing.

And it's easy to gradually increase the lifestyle right along with it.

But eventually, difficult years happen.

And for a financial advisor, those are EXACTLY the moments when clients need you to be calm, rational and objective.

That's one reason I think it's important for me to practice many of the same principles I talk about with clients.

I want enough margin in my own financial life that a difficult market doesn't create panic at home.

If the market falls 20% or 30%, I'm certainly not going to enjoy watching my own investments decline.

But I also don't want to be worried about whether my lifestyle can survive it.

My job in those moments is not to worry about myself. It is to stay engaged and deliver value!

To answer the phone.

To help clients separate emotion from decision-making.

To help them make thoughtful decisions during periods when it can be very difficult to think clearly.

Stress clouds judgment.

There's nothing wrong with enjoying success.

I've slowly and strategically improved my lifestyle over the last decade (mainly conveniences like delegation of more business tasks, landscaping, food prep, and cleaning to free up more time with my family).

Not really anything material for me, but there's nothing wrong with having some nice things!

Avoiding positions where my back is against a wall is crucial for me to show up as my best self every day.

I've come to appreciate that one of the greatest benefits of creating financial security for yourself isn't being able to buy more expensive things.

It's having enough margin that you have a calm mind and clarity when life becomes unpredictable.

And that makes me better at what I do.

08/18/2026

Global bond yields have surged to levels not seen in years amid geopolitical uncertainty, shifting Fed expectations, and increased debt issuance. In the Cetera Investment Management Team's latest commentary, they break down what's behind the move, the impact on portfolios, and why we view higher yields as a compelling opportunity for long-term investors.
Read the full commentary:

We're in the Temperamental Era and bonds are the ones having the tantrum. The Temperamental Era is our term for a market that trades on headlines, not trends.…

08/18/2026

2022 was one of the most stressful years of my career.

It was also one of the most valuable.

In February of that year, my wife and I put earnest money down on a piece of land.

The plan was to build a beautiful new house in a nice subdivision.

Probably an $800,000–$900,000 project by the time it was finished.

At the time, I felt pretty confident.

The year before had been the best year of my career financially. I was making good money. We had investments. I believed in my ability to go out and produce more income.

And if I had to liquidate a significant chunk of a brokerage account for the down payment?

Who cares? I wanted the house.

Then 2022 happened.

Interest rates started climbing quickly.

The projected mortgage payment kept getting bigger.

Markets were falling, and the investment account I planned to use for part of the down payment was falling with them.

My career is also tied to the financial markets, so while my investments were declining, I was simultaneously battling work stress and uncertainty.

And suddenly the thing that had seemed completely reasonable a few months earlier felt very different.

We pulled the plug.

We lost few hundred bucks in earnest money and stayed in our starter home. Still here today...

Looking back, we probably would have been fine.

My business survived. It eventually grew substantially.

But that's beside the point.

Had we gone through with it, I would have spent a period of my life carrying an enormous amount of unnecessary stress simply because I had built too little margin into the decision.

That year permanently changed how I think about money.

I like nice things.

I'd still love to own a beautiful house. And I believe we will!

But I don't ever want a house, car, or lifestyle badly enough that maintaining it requires everything in my life to continue going right.

Because everything won't always go right.

Income can change.

Markets can fall.

Businesses can hit difficult periods.

Careers can end overnight.

Good years have a way of making us believe the good years are permanent.

They're not.

So these days, I value margin much more than I value maximizing lifestyle.

Enough room that a bad year is frustrating and not life-altering.

Enough room that an unexpected expense doesn't cause friction with those you love.

Enough room that when an opportunity comes along, you aren't already financially stretched to your limit.

And that decision to exit in 2022 taught me more about wealth than buying the bigger house probably ever could have.

08/17/2026

A busy week of economic and corporate data will provide important insight into the forces shaping the markets.
Housing starts, the Fed’s meeting minutes, weekly jobless claims and earnings from several major retailers will offer timely indicators on home demand, interest-rate expectations, employment and consumer strength.
Join Chief Market Strategist Brian Klimke on this week’s episode of as he examines the key developments investors should monitor and whether recent market momentum can continue.

“Cetera Financial Group” refers to the network of independent retail firms encompassing, among others, Cetera Advisors LLC, Cetera Advisor Networks LLC, Cetera Investment Services LLC (marketed as Cetera Financial Institutions or Cetera Investors), and Cetera Financial Specialists LLC. All firms...

08/11/2026

Read the latest issue of Retire Wise here:

Grandparents looking for new ways to support their grandchildren's education have reason to pay attention this year. In this month's Retire Wise, learn about…