The (Almost) Aftermath of Inflation

Inflation is not entirely gone yet. BUT – it could be worthwhile to try talking about it in the past tense and examine what enduring inflation has dealt – both negative and possibly positive – to spenders, savers and investors.

For one thing, inflation has gotten our attention! There is not one friend or client with whom I speak – those with money to burn and those with stricter budgets – who has not been shocked by food prices the past two and a half years. Are there any “silver linings” to this situation? What have been the worst consequences of inflation?

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Are Markets Ready for Tariffs?

Part of me needs to admit that today’s title was an attention grabber. The deeper questions are:

  • Are investors ready for volatility?
  • Are investor expectations ready for a test of high stock valuations?
  • As always, do investors have enough cash for spending priorities and wishes?
  • Are investors ready to take advantage of any coming volatility with savings strategies (think: being able to continue regular contributions to savings & investments, 401k plans and IRA accounts)?

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When It’s Time For A Break

A wise client once told me, “Know when it is time for a break.”

With Superbowl LIX in the books and other national events having slowly passed – and another snowstorm on the ground – it may be time for a short break. And by the way, I recently had minor eye surgery that requires me to be sidelined for 10 days, through around February 22nd.

With that, please know that if you are a client reading this note, you are in excellent hands with my colleague, Mary, AND my team at Main Street Financial Solutions. Please email both me and Mary and our OOO (Out Of Office) messages will give instructions, if needed, for contacting a team member at Main Street Financial Solutions.

And it is Valentine’s Day, so a solid reason to take a break and do something fun with the person or people whom you love the most! The markets and the world can wait sometimes. Family, faith, real life and health are what matter.

This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied upon for, tax, legal or accounting advice.

AS ALWAYS, thank you for reading and TGIF!

Rocky (But Good) Start to the Year… PS. “Alts”

This may be the last weekend we can say, “Happy New Year!” to friends. And a fairly happy new year it has been for the markets… with a few bumps here and there. The “bump” was a mini-cavernous plunge for shares of Nvidia shares, down 15% in one day without a rebound. Both the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 (tech focused index) promptly rebounded.

However, there may have been a few investors, especially those newer to the markets or those less patient among us, who need a “gut check” when markets get rocky. Here are a handful of questions investors can ask themselves, in order to stay put with current investments in down and seriously down markets – providing a plan is already in place:

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When You Don’t Win A National Championship

We have all been there. Whether it is not getting the promotion or appointment to the C-suite, not hitting the jackpot with a start-up company investment or hedge fund or not reaching a savings goal in order to buy a fancy new car or retire by a certain year. We miss winning our own, personal “national championship”.

The keys to recovery are resilience and focus (2 weeks ago’s TGIF 2 Minutes talked about focus, as well). In Atlanta this past Monday, resilience and focus were on display in the CFP National Football Championship between Notre Dame and Ohio State, as well as an economic mismatch… but more about the economic mismatches of college sports in another edition.

As for resilience and focus, these two concepts figure heavily into personal finance, saving and investing.

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The Markets Are UP

At this time of the year, clients and friends love asking the question, “What do you think of the markets?” Long ago, I learned not to answer with what I believe the markets will do – because no one knows for certain what the markets will do – but rather to respond with a handful of “data points” about what events are taking place currently and what near-future events truly figure in to investor expectations.

So far this year, markets are UP. To be exact, in the first 11 trading days of 2025 the markets have been up, down and then up. On balance markets are UP 1% to 1.5% year-to-date with small companies marginally leading the way. Small companies tend to be more volatile and react positively when there is perceived value in stock prices.

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One New Year’s Resolution

It is that time of year when goals of every sort are made – for work, family, health and, yes, personal finances. Thinking about and writing down goals for each of these areas can be productive in itself. But then getting practical and boiling down a list of goals into a handful of things – or even JUST ONE THING – that a person resolves to make happen is critical.

Of course, this task is not easy, but hey, it is January 10th. Let’s give it a go.

Here is a goal that could be either a lifetime goal, or a one- or two-year goal that could make a lifetime of difference:

Focus on Saving in order to maintain Patience – in the event of the inevitable market decline. My nickname for this goal is FSP.

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Fighting Irish Victory

TGIF 2 Minutes is celebrating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish Victory!

For all Irish fans, enjoy celebrating with Coach Freeman and the Guys.

For all TGIF 2 Minutes fans (these two fan groups may be mutually exclusive*), more insights to come in 2025!

*MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE – meaning

This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide, and should not be relied upon for, tax, legal or accounting advice.

Thank you for reading, Happy New Year and TGIF!

Optimism & Caution Wrap Up 2024

Anything could have happened in 2024. The uncertainties were immense:

  • Outcome of the US Presidential election
  • Trajectory of US interest rates and inflation
  • At least two active wars with an element of US involvement
  • Trajectory of US stocks in this environment
  • The US Fed’s interest rate policy (did I say interest rates twice?)
  • Numerous other personal and world economic and social events.

The results – to date – in several of these categories have been positive or on-the-way-to-becoming-positive.

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