Reading the Tea Leaves: Janet Yellen cautiously raised rates, and Wall Street took it in stride. The markets are signaling that low rates could persist for years to come.

Anxiety. Uncertainty. Tension. Deadly terrorist attacks. And a dire situation in Syria with no end in sight. 2015 has been a volatile year and November was a particularly volatile month. Little surprise that the markets reflect our global unease, off 1% at the end of the month and with many segments in the red for the year as a whole.

THE REWARDS OF DOING NOTHING. The end of Q3 was a textbook example of why it pays to be a passive investor. Stocks swung wildly during the final week of August, only to be followed by a quick recovery in which the biggest losers bounced back fast. (Pity the poor investor who sold in fear early that week. But that wasn’t you.) October month to date, US markets have gained 3.8%, international developed markets 5.5%, and emerging markets 7.3%. Read on for our Q3 review, advice about what to do during market corrections, and news about the latest financial come-ons from Wall Street.   

AUGUST AGITATION. The dog days of summer brought wild swings in the stock market, testing the fortitude of seasoned investors trained to hold on through market routs. Was August a harbinger of things to come? If so, what should you do now? We’ve got insights and advice to share. Let’s begin with a review of August results.

Many investors are concerned about the news coming from Europe and China. How should investors behave in the midst of a financial crisis? Should one do something different with his or her portfolio? — Let’s look at July’s results before we answer these important questions.

The DJIA climbs above 18,000 but your portfolio performance is tepid. What’s up with that? Learn the answers in our 2015 Q2 review and commentary. Despite a bumpy ride throughout the second quarter, global markets remained calm and stocks traded in a narrow range as Wall Street weighed the debt crisis in Greece, credit problems in Puerto Rico, the see-saw in Chinese stocks and prospects for a U.S interest rate hike. Then, after approaching historic highs, the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index declined in the last few days of June, finishing the second quarter with a barely positive 0.28 percent return (dividends included).

As we move into February, forecast-beating U.S. payroll data sparked a jump in bond yields. The dollar gained. Month-to-date, stock returns erased January losses. Economists were pleased. As an investor, how should you react to good news like that? How about the negative news? And of course the financial press has plenty of baseless predictions and forecasts at the start of each new year. Our advice is the same, no matter what the news brings. Remain disciplined and focused on a sound investment philosophy. If your situation has changed, do an allocation checkup. Never invest based on your emotions. And tune out the noise of financial pundits.

Did you stay the course in 2014? As so often happens, the financial markets defied expectations and expert prognostications. When the market plunged in October, those who hung on were rewarded at year-end. Proving once that the best antidote for financial fear is a sound strategy, disciplined approach, and broad diversification. And 2015 is likely to be no different