The upcoming presidential election is shaping up to be loud, full of uncertainties and exciting for voters, which is exactly the kind of contest the stock market doesn't like, according to financial industry executives.

“Boring is beautiful when it comes to the market and finances,” said Brad Long, chief investment officer at Fiducient Advisors, an investment consulting firm in Chicago with $309 billion in assets under advisement.

“Our job is to provide clarity by focusing on what we and our clients can control,” Justin Samples, private wealth advisor at Minneapolis-based Ameriprise Financial, said in an interview. “One of the biggest issues is the uncertainty an election can create, and in this case that is exacerbated by the media. Behaviorally speaking, uncertainty is even worse than bad news.”

Officials at D.A. Davidson & Co., a wealth management and financial services firm in Great Falls, Mont, said many investors are feeling anxious about the elections.

“The markets don’t like uncertainty, and the outcome of the U.S. presidential election is a big question mark,” Andrew Crowell, financial advisor and vice chairman of wealth management at D.A. Davidson, said in a statement accompanying a survey the firm did on investors’ feeling about the election.

“While it’s natural to be concerned about how the election could impact the market, any resulting turbulence usually represents short-term fluctuations that should not dramatically alter your investment strategy. It’s important for investors to stay the course and keep their long-term financial goals in mind,” Crowell said.

Who wins the upcoming election could have an impact on tax policies, regulations, and relations with foreign countries, which are some of the issues causing investors to question what they should do now, the executives said.

Divided governments with one party controlling the White House and another holding a majority in either the House or Senate or both are good for the markets and for investors “because if control is split, there probably won’t be any major changes in policy,” Samples said.

“From a historical perspective, the market goes back to fundamentals with a divided government,” Anthony Saglimbene, chief market strategist for the Ameriprise Investment Resource Group, said during a recent webinar. “There are a couple of things that could develop under each administration. For instance, both will be tough on China but Trump would probably impose higher tariffs.”

But it is consumers who are responsible for much of the economy and consumers are in financially good shape, said Russell Price, chief economist for the Ameriprise Investment Group and one of the participants in the Ameriprise webinar.

However, the D.A. Davidson survey of 1,018 U.S. adults showed that 85% of Americans currently are concerned about how the outcome of the upcoming U.S. presidential election will affect the markets. In addition, 78% of Americans are anxious when thinking about their financial situation in the context of the election results, and 60% expect that the outcome of the election will lead to an increase in inflation.

Ameriprise advises clients to take advantage of current laws and regulations if it is applicable to their circumstances, Samples said. For instance, unless changes are made, the estate tax exemption will be cut by about half from its current $13.6 million level at the end of 2025. If clients want to give money to a succeeding generation, they may want to make those arrangements now, while the exemption is higher, he said.

Providing clarity for the client is the goal. “Clients want to understand what they need to know so that they do not feel overwhelmed by uncertainty,” he added. “Clients want to know we are paying attention to the possibilities, so that they feel confident and relaxed.”

So far this year, the market has seen favorable returns and expectations for the second half are for continued growth for most of the S&P 500, Ameriprise’s Saglimbene said.

But translating that favorable environment to specific investments or sectors can be tricky. For instance, many investors are looking to cash now as a safe bet.

“Cash is good today, but that could change quickly,” Fiducient’s Long said. “Some people are mistakenly looking to cash for stability, but cash is a fickle friend.”

The same caution should be used when trying to gauge the impact of the election on any market segment, the executives said.