Stock market volatility increased in recent days despite a relatively quiet week of financial headlines. To compare market movements to an ocean freighter, it doesn’t take much of a cargo load-shift to one side to cause a scene.

When it comes to planning for and living your financial life (wealth management), it’s not a race against a particular market index. It’s about making thoughtful decisions for the future based on the information available today.

Companies repurchase shares for a variety of reasons. Commonly shares are bought back because the stock price is viewed as undervalued or that no better investment opportunities exist for the company’s cash.

Why do companies do stock splits if there is no change in value? A lower share price is more accessible to a broader base of investors and could increase liquidity by having more market participants able to buy and sell the stock. Also, there’s a psychological component.

Why is the labor participation rate in decline? We are getting old (not ugly). The Baby Boomer generation is exiting the workforce faster than younger workers are entering the workforce.

Apple’s increase in value alone is larger than 444 of the 500 companies within the S&P 500. The 10th largest publicly traded company in the U.S. is Procter and Gamble (P&G); they employ 97,000 people and have been in business for over 180 years.

A well-diversified portfolio is not reliant on any single asset class or factor for success. Diversification can seem sleepy at times, however, when markets diverge, the benefits sometimes shine.