Tariffs cause uncertainty among businesses and consumers. Businesses don't want to commit to any projects because of a murky outlook and consumers are increasingly pessimistic about the economy's future. This can cause them to tighten their purse strings, and a recession almost becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. In a worrying sign, March's University of Michigan consumer confidence survey came in at the lowest level since 2022.

The markets are telling us a story right now - they're craving certainty in a world full of question marks. Investors are recalibrating strategies as new economic signals emerge daily.

Death and taxes, as we all know, are the inevitabilities in life. We spend a lot of time and energy avoiding the former and almost as much mental capital trying to prevent the latter. But should we? As unpleasant as they are, taxes are born out of a successful endeavor where we earned or won money in some form. That being said, you should still be “tax-aware” with your finances to minimize the drag that taxes have on your bottom line. After all, we don’t want to line Uncle Sam’s pockets unnecessarily.

Alexander Hamilton said, “I have thought it my duty to exhibit things as they are, not as they ought to be.” So often, we paint our perspective of past, current, and future events with what ought to be that we miss what *is*. Keeping a level head and focusing on the long-term is a surefire way to improve your outcomes.