When The Ride Gets Bumpy

We recently took our two-year-old son, Eli, to Busch Gardens in Virginia. The highlight? Seeing his favorite Sesame Street characters. He lit up when he saw Elmo — pure joy! He waved, danced, and was completely in his element.

But what you don’t see is what happened a few minutes later.

There was a little kids’ roller coaster nearby — one of those slow, gentle rides designed for toddlers. We thought, “He’ll love this.”

The second before it started moving, he panicked. Tears, screaming, arms reaching out for help like he was about to ride the Tower of Terror instead of something that barely hit jogging speed.

Now, if I had pulled out my phone and told him, “Historically, only 0.001% of kids get hurt on rides like these,” do you think he would’ve calmed down and said, “Oh great, thanks Dad — I feel better now”?

Of course not. Because when you’re scared, logic doesn’t land.

We see this all the time in our work with clients. The market dips, volatility spikes, and clients understandably start to worry. It’s often an instinct to show charts, to point to historical averages, and to talk about recoveries and long-term returns

But people don’t want data when they’re afraid. They want reassurance. They want someone to say, “I know this is uncomfortable, but I’m here, and we’ve been through this before.”

That’s exactly why we build a financial plan in the first place — not just for the good times, but so there’s a steady hand when the ride gets bumpy. The plan gives us something to come back to. It reminds us why we’re invested the way we are, and what the long-term goal really is.

In that moment with my son, we didn’t give him statistics. We got him off the ride, gave him a hug, and said, “You’re safe.” That’s what helped.

At Rather & Kittrell, our job isn’t just to build custom financial plans. It’s to walk with people through the ups and downs with calm. We don’t dismiss fear. We sit with it, guide through it, and remind clients they’re not riding alone.

Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do as advisors isn’t to explain the ride — it’s to be right there when it dips.

Sam Paganelli, CFA® CFP® is an Advisor with Rather & Kittrell.