Happy belated New Year everyone!! This year has started out very busy for us. People are starting to see some gains in their accounts as the market is slowly turning around. Those of you that added to your accounts while they were down should se some great gains. Last year was only the seventh time that the market has dipped more than 20% in its history. The first time of course was the beginning of the depression, The second was at the end of the depression. In 1940 the attack on Pearl Harbor caused a big drop and then rallied back in 1942. There was the recession of 1957 followed by the oil crisis of 1972-1973, the Dot Com bust of 1998 which rallied back in 2003, and finally the credit crisis of 2008-2009. But for all the downturns the market has taken, it has always rallied back. In fact, according to Ibbotson, the market has had 71 positive years, six years of average returns and 25 years of negative returns. I would say that the odds of a positive 2023 are pretty good.
This year we are planning to add a podcast that will be updated twice a month. I will try to bring some simplicity to what is going on in the market. I will also discuss retirement planning, budgeting and any and all types of planning. And, after 37 years of being around this business, I will try to bring some stories and experiences that are fit to talk about to you. Finally, I will answer questions you may have about money as well as conduct interviews with industry experts. Hopefully you will look for the podcast later this winter.
Be safe out there.