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What Should I Do With My Investments During Market Volatility? During periods of market volatility, the most important step you can take is to stay grounded in your long-term strategy. Ironically, reacting emotionally to short-term developments; whether they be tariff rulings, geopolitical escalation, or interest rate speculation, have historically introduced more risk than the volatility itself. A relationship with a fiduciary financial firm can help you maintain discipline and perspective when headlines make that difficult. Why Are Markets So Volatile in 2026? If the first few months of 2026 have felt turbulent, you are not imagining it. After a historically strong 2025 that included dozens of record closing highs in major U.S. indices, investors entered this year with elevated expectations. Several developments have since introduced meaningful uncertainty, and the markets don’t like uncertainty! In February, the Supreme Court ruled that broad tariffs enacted under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act exceeded executive authority. The ruling reduced some trade policy ambiguity, but a new set of tariffs was promptly announced under a separate legal framework, leaving businesses and investors still navigating an evolving landscape. Separately, geopolitical conflict and rising energy prices have added pressure to an already cautious global outlook. Meanwhile, expectations around Federal Reserve policy continue to shift as new leadership takes the helm. Markets are currently pricing in potential rate adjustments later this year, but the path forward depends on a wide range of economic data that remains unsettled. Perspective matters: Market pullbacks are a normal and recurring feature of investing. Looking back over the last 50 years, the S&P 500 has experienced an average intra-year decline of about 14%. However, in 35 of 46 calendar years, the index ended in positive territory . Past performance is not indicative of future results, but the historical pattern is worth understanding. What Should You Consider Doing With Your Investments? Should I sell my investments during a downturn? Selling during periods of elevated volatility can feel like the safest decision, but it often locks in temporary losses and creates a new problem: deciding when to reinvest. Markets, forecasting the trajectory of the companies that make them up, have historically recovered from pullbacks, sometimes quickly and unexpectedly, and investors who moved to the sidelines have at times missed meaningful rebounds. That said, every situation is different, and decisions should be grounded in your unique circumstances. How do I know if my current plan will still work? Well-constructed financial strategy is built to account for periods of uncertainty. If your plan was designed around your specific objectives, your time horizon (your generation or multigenerational), and a realistic range of market scenarios, short-term volatility does not necessarily mean your plan needs to change. That said, life circumstances evolve, and market environments like we are experiencing in 2026 can be a useful prompt to review whether your financial strategy still aligns with where you are today. This is a conversation your team should be proactive about initiating. What does rebalancing look like in a volatile market? Volatility can cause your portfolio to drift away from its intended allocation. Rebalancing is the process of bringing it back into alignment. With the general assumption the economy grows ¾ of the time, market dislocations often create opportunities to rebalance at favorable levels. A rebalance might involve adjusting between asset classes, revisiting diversification across geographies and sectors, or reviewing fixed income positioning in light of changing interest rate expectations. Rebalancing is a disciplined process, not a reactive one, and it should be guided by your overall financial strategy rather than by today's headlines. Why Does an Independent Fiduciary Advisor Matter? A financial advisor electing to serve as a fiduciary is legally required to act in your best interest at all times; not their own (for compensation) or their employer’s. This is a higher standard than the suitability standard that governs many broker-dealer or hybrid relationships. Independence matters alongside the fiduciary standard. An independent firm can be broadly defined as not being owned by a bank, insurance company, or wirehouse. When a firm is independent, there is a lower probability you will receive biased recommendations influenced by proprietary product limitations, corporate sales quotas, and pressures to recommend one strategy over another for reasons that don’t serve you. In periods of volatility, this distinction becomes especially relevant. At a large firm, your guidance may come from a group of disconnected employees shaped by corporate priorities. At a smaller firm like Buttonwood Financial Group, our Advisors develop and implement strategies in conjunction with our Operations Team. Our output is a financial strategy that is not only customized; the execution of the plan is simplified as well. This happens at Buttonwood because our Team knows you and your family; and our relationship is the foundation of the advice. Buttonwood Financial Group has served Kansas City families, business owners, and high-net-worth individuals for over two decades as an independent fiduciary. Our service models: Financial Advisory, Family CFO, and Family Office, are structured around the complexity of each client’s situation, not around product tiers or asset minimums. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs and More) What is a fiduciary financial advisor? A fiduciary financial advisor is legally obligated to act in your best interest at all times. This differs from the suitability standard, which only requires that recommendations be appropriate, not necessarily optimal, for a client. How do I find a financial advisor? When evaluating a financial advisor, consider whether the advisor operates as an independent fiduciary, how long they have served the community, whether they offer comprehensive strategy that fits your needs, and whether their team is integrated and has experience with your level of financial complexity. You can verify an advisor’s registration and disclosures through the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure database. Should I change my financial strategy because of tariffs? In most cases, a well-constructed financial strategy should not require significant changes in response to any single policy shift, including tariff adjustments. Trade policy is one of many variables that affect markets, and reacting to individual policy headlines can introduce more risk than it mitigates. A fiduciary advisor can help you stress-test your strategy against multiple economic scenarios rather than reacting to any single event. What is unique about an independent fiduciary financial advisor? Independent financial advisors are not owned by or affiliated with large banks, insurance companies, or wirehouses. This independence, in conjunction with a fiduciary standard, helps ensure your advisor recommends products and strategies that serve your best interest. Independent firms also tend to provide more personalized services. What are Family CFO services? Family CFO services provide comprehensive financial strategy and oversight for households and families who need more than Investment management but do not need or want to pay for the staff of their own Family Office. Core Family CFO services include cash flow management, tax coordination, insurance and estate planning coordination and oversight, and support around life's ongoing financial decisions. Our Family CFO Team functions in a similar capacity to a dedicated Chief Financial Officer for your personal financial life. What does a Family Office do? A Family Office provides holistic wealth management for individuals and families with financial complexity beyond our Core Family CFO services. This may include developing and managing advanced investment allocation, tax, legacy planning, philanthropic advisory services, risk management, multigenerational financial literacy, and concierge services. Boutique firms, like Buttonwood Financial Group, offer Family Office services with a dedicated Our Team: Your Family relationship. Let’s Have a Real Conversation If the world seems to be whirling by or you are questioning whether your financial plan is built for what’s ahead, we welcome a conversation: A straightforward discussion about where you are and where you want to go. Important Disclosure This commentary is provided for informational purposes only and reflects general market views as of the date published. It is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation, or a solicitation to buy or sell any security. Asset allocation and diversification do not guarantee profit or protect against loss. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Market conditions and investment strategies are subject to change. Please consult with your Buttonwood Financial Group advisor regarding your individual circumstances before making any investment decisions.

Oil vs. Gold: What Today’s Market Signals May Mean for Investors

Today is the last day of Women's History Month. And while one month is never enough to capture what women contribute — to finance, to business, to the communities they shape — it is a moment worth honoring before we let it go. At Buttonwood Financial Group, this March has felt particularly meaningful. Not because we needed a designated month to recognize the women on our team, but because it gave us the chance to say out loud what we already know to be true every day: our women make us who we are. Buttonwood is a 15-person boutique wealth management firm based in Midtown Kansas City. Six of those 15 people are women — and they aren't clustered in one place. They lead across every corner of this firm. Our COO manages the operational engine of the business. Our VP of Marketing shapes how Buttonwood communicates with the world. Our Director of Operations keeps everything running with precision. Female representation on our Advisor team brings deep expertise directly to clients' financial futures and support from our accounting team. And our Client Services Specialist is often the first voice clients hear — and one of the most important. In an industry where women have historically been underrepresented, that kind of presence — spanning C-suite, operations, marketing, wealth management, accounting, and client services — doesn't happen by accident. This Is What Intentional Looks Like Wealth management has long been a male-dominated field. Women make up a fraction of financial advisors and senior leaders across the industry. We knew from the beginning that building the team we wanted meant being thoughtful — not waiting for diversity to happen organically, but actively creating an environment where talented women want to stay and grow. We're not perfect, and we're not done. But we're proud of where we are. Beyond Wealth: Women, Wealth & Influence Last year, we launched something we'd been excited about for a long time: Beyond Wealth: Women, Wealth & Influence— a community where women can explore the real intersections of life and money. The response has been remarkable. Women are hungry for this kind of space. One that doesn't talk down to them or assume they need a simplified version of finance — but instead treats them as the intelligent, capable decision-makers they are. We meet, we talk, we learn from each other, and we build the kind of financial confidence that changes lives. Why It Matters in Wealth Management Specifically Women control a growing share of wealth in this country. They often outlive their spouses. They navigate career interruptions. They make major financial decisions every day — and they deserve advisors and firms that truly reflect their experience and understand their full picture. When clients walk through our doors in Midtown Kansas City, they don't just get personalized financial planning. They get a team built to see the whole picture — and that includes the perspective that women bring. Rooted in Kansas City Our commitment to this community runs deep. Through Buttonwood Art Space, our nonprofit arm, we've returned over $1 million to local artists and nonprofits — investing in the creative and cultural fabric of the city we're proud to call home. For us, being a good firm and being a good neighbor have always gone hand in hand. A Word of Gratitude To the women of Buttonwood Financial Group: thank you. The leadership, the care, the rigor, the relationship-building you bring every single day — that's why this firm is as good as it is. And to our clients, partners, and Kansas City community: we're more than 20 years into building something worth celebrating. We're just getting started. Interested in joining Beyond Wealth: Women, Wealth & Influence? Email: info@ButtonwoodFG.com Buttonwood Financial Group is a boutique wealth management firm in Midtown Kansas City with over 20 years of experience in personalized financial planning. Through its nonprofit arm, Buttonwood Art Space, the firm has contributed over $1 million to local artists and nonprofits.

Geopolitics and economic impacts evolve; and thus, we evolve our investment allocations. Our March rebalance consisted of a series of targeted adjustments designed to keep portfolios aligned with our long-term objectives of producing a more consistent rate of return, while adapting to a changing investment environment. The takeaway is straightforward: we remain firmly invested in growth, but we’re being more intentional about how we are taking risk. The change during this rebalance is a refinement of positioning, not a retreat from our conviction. Staying Invested, With Better Balance We continue to maintain a modest equity overweight, as we believe stocks will still outperform bonds. Our logic reflects an economic macro backdrop that remains supportive. Economic growth has been resilient; earnings have held up, and inflation pressures continue to trend in the right direction. These conditions favor stocks and growth rather than stepping aside. At the same time, the market has begun to reward selectivity over concentration. In response, we trimmed positions that had grown disproportionately large, took profits on recent winners, and reduced some of our most concentrated factor tilts. The goal is not to reduce upside participation, but to pursue it with better diversification and durability. Tempering Regional Bets We made modest regional adjustments to improve balance without changing our core views: U.S. equities: We remain constructive on U.S. earnings power, but trimmed our overweight to the US, after a strong run to reduce concentration risk. Emerging markets: After meaningful gains, particularly tied to AI and semiconductor supply chain, we again took some profits while maintaining meaningful exposure. International developed markets: We reduced, but did not eliminate, our underweight, acknowledging that in a broadening market, extreme regional bets can become less efficient. The result is a more balanced global equity mix, designed to be resilient across a wider range of outcomes. Broadening Our AI Exposure The AI trade has been and continues to remain one of the most powerful long-term themes shaping the global economy. However, the opportunity is not evenly distributed. While many companies are experimenting with AI, only a small subset are successfully deploying it at scale in ways that meaningfully improve productivity and competitiveness. We believe we have strengthened our AI positioning through active investment strategies that seek to identify not only core technology builders, but also early adopters across industries. We have targeted companies that are using AI to create durable advantages rather than simply following the trend: Lessons learned during the .com era. As risks increase and the market becomes more selective, we believe this selective approach matters more than ever. Adding to Defense, with a Global Lens We also added to our exposure to defense stocks, reflecting what we believe is a multiyear, policy driven investment cycle tied to modernization and security priorities. Importantly, we shifted from a U.S. centric approach toward a more diversified global strategy, aiming to capture where defense spending is expanding most clearly. Defense plays a dual role in investment portfolios today: Not only is it a structural growth opportunity; we are also viewing it as a diversifying equity exposure with drivers distinct from traditional economic cycles. An economic recession doesn’t necessarily impact the need for a nation to defend itself. Strengthening Bonds as a Stabilizer Within fixed income, our focus during this rebalance was to improve resilience. Credit spreads are historically tight, meaning investors are being paid very little for taking on credit risk. In these conditions, credit (bonds) can behave more like equity (stocks) during market stress. As such, we reduced credit heavy exposures and added higher quality, longer duration government bonds. The intent is to make our bond allocation a more reliable shock absorber during periods of volatility. At the same time, we would like to preserve the flexibility to add risk later if credit sells off and valuations improve. The Bottom Line Our March 2026 rebalance kept portfolios in our ‘barbell’ structure. Assets are both positioned for growth, which has served us very well, while we continue to increase our defensive positioning. We believe defense has been increased by improving diversification, reducing concentration, and strengthening downside protection.  In short, following our March rebalance, assets are positioned to take advantage of opportunities to participate in an overall economically constructive outlook, but we believe are now better positioned to weather uncertainty with greater resilience. If you have questions about how these changes apply specifically to your cash flows or financial objectives, we welcome the conversation. Thank you for your continued trust and partnership. Important Disclosure This commentary is provided for informational purposes only and reflects general market views as of the date published. It is not intended as investment advice, a recommendation, or a solicitation to buy or sell any security. Asset allocation and diversification do not guarantee profit or protect against loss. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Market conditions and investment strategies are subject to change. Please consult with your Buttonwood Financial Group advisor regarding your individual circumstances before making any investment decisions.

Tax season has a way of arriving faster than expected. And for 2026, there’s more worth paying attention to than usual—the IRS has updated key figures for tax year 2025, and enforcement around complex returns has intensified. But before you hand everything off to your CPA, a brief pause to review the right details can make the process smoother—and occasionally surfaces something worth acting on. The questions below are starting points for reflection and conversation, not tax guidance. 1. Did anything significant change last year? Life moves fast, and the tax code tries to keep up. A new job, a growing family, a home purchase, a business change, or even a large one-time expense can shift your tax situation in ways that deserve attention. This is also worth thinking about through the lens of your broader advisor team—changes that affect your investments, estate plan, or business interests often have tax consequences that only surface when everyone is looking at the full picture together. If it felt significant, it’s probably worth mentioning. 2. Have you collected all your income documents? Before anything else, make sure the full picture is on the table. W-2s, 1099s, K-1s, Social Security statements, and brokerage summaries should all be accounted for—and reviewed for accuracy, not just collected. A number that looks wrong is worth questioning before your return is filed. One timing note worth flagging: if you hold interests in partnerships, LLCs, private equity funds, or real estate partnerships, K-1s often don’t arrive until mid-March. If your CPA isn’t expecting them, there’s a real risk of filing prematurely without crucial income information 3. Is your paperwork actually ready to hand off? There’s a difference between having your documents and having them organized. A simple folder—digital or physical—sorted by category saves time, reduces back-and-forth with your CPA, and lowers the chance something gets missed in the shuffle. Five minutes of organizing now can prevent a week of delays later. This matters especially if you work with multiple advisors: your wealth manager, CPA, estate attorney, and business attorney each hold pieces of the puzzle. Information that stays siloed between professionals is one of the most common sources of unnecessary complications at filing time. 4. Are your charitable contributions documented? Good intentions don’t substitute for good records. Whether you gave cash, wrote checks, or donated property, make sure you have acknowledgment letters, receipts, or bank records to back it up. For larger contributions, the bar is higher: cash gifts over $250 require written acknowledgment from the charity, non-cash contributions over $500 require Form 8283, and those over $5,000 typically require a qualified appraisal. If you donated appreciated stock or gave through a donor-advised fund, your CPA will also need cost basis information and confirmation of fair market value on the donation date—details that may require coordination with your investment advisor. Timing matters too—gifts need to have been completed by December 31 to count for the prior tax year. 5. Do you have a clear picture of your investment activity? It’s easy to forget about trades made months ago, but we haven't. Sales, exchanges, dividend reinvestments, and distributions can all carry tax consequences. It’s also worth confirming whether any tax-loss harvesting was done on your behalf during the year—those transactions affect your overall gain and loss picture and your CPA should understand them in context. Similarly, if you exercised stock options, received vested restricted stock, or completed a Roth conversion, those activities need to be clearly communicated. Reviewing your year-end statements before you meet with your CPA helps ensure nothing catches anyone off guard. 6. Did your retirement contributions land where you intended? Confirm that what you planned to contribute actually went in—and in the right accounts. If you came up short on IRA contributions, you may still have time to make it right before the filing deadline. If you own a business or have self-employment income, it’s also worth verifying that any retirement plan contributions made through your business are properly coordinated with your personal return. It’s also worth asking whether your current savings rate still fits your retirement timeline. 7. Are your benefit and healthcare accounts squared away? HSAs, FSAs, and similar accounts have their own rules and reporting requirements that are easy to overlook. An HSA withdrawal used for a non-qualified expense, for instance, can trigger a penalty. Pull together your account statements and any related documents so your CPA has the full picture. If you own a business, it’s also worth confirming that health insurance premiums paid through your company are being handled correctly on both your business and personal returns—this is an area where coordination between your bookkeeper and CPA matters more than people expect. 8. What do you want to be more intentional about this year? Tax season is one of the few times most people take a genuine look at their finances. Use that momentum. Beyond filing, consider asking your CPA what your estimated tax payments should look like for 2026, whether any positions on this return carry higher audit risk, and what planning opportunities exist based on what they’re seeing in your return. The IRS has meaningfully intensified enforcement around high-income filers in recent years—particularly around partnership interests, digital asset transactions, and international holdings—so this isn’t a moment to treat compliance as a formality. Whether it’s adjusting your withholding, revisiting your giving strategy, or thinking through a major financial decision ahead, the earlier a conversation starts, the more options you typically have. A Note on 2025 Figures The IRS adjusted several key thresholds for tax year 2025. The standard deduction increased to $15,750 for single filers and $31,500 for married filing jointly, with an additional enhanced deduction of up to $6,000 per qualifying individual age 65 or older ($12,000 for married couples where both spouses qualify). Notably, legislation temporarily increased the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions to up to $40,000 for tax years 2025 through 2029 for certain taxpayers who itemize. This expanded cap is subject to income‑based limitations and may phase down for higher‑income filers, meaning the benefit varies significantly based on overall income and deduction profile. As always, whether itemizing or taking the standard deduction makes sense depends on your specific situation and should be reviewed with your CPA. Estate and gift tax exemptions also saw inflationary adjustments for 2025, which may be relevant if wealth‑transfer planning was part of your year. How we can help? We work alongside your CPA—not in place of them. Our role is to help you stay organized, think through priorities, and make sure your financial decisions are working together toward a bigger goal. In our experience, the families who navigate tax season most efficiently are those who proactively connect the pieces across their professional team, rather than assuming the information flows automatically. If it would be helpful to talk through what’s on your plate before you sit down with your tax advisor, we’re glad to do that. Thank you for your continued trust and for allowing us to provide solutions-not just plans. This information is provided for general educational purposes only and should not be considered tax advice. Please consult your tax professional regarding your specific situation