2024 is over so we're going to share a 2024 wrap up! We explore reflections on the holiday season and its implications for financial markets. We share some touching on lighthearted holiday moments. And we also talk some broader topics such as the role of resilience in success and more! Join us as we wrap up 2024. Today we discuss... 

• Low trading volume during the holidays is an opportunity to find potential deals, though the speaker suggests this may not be worth pursuing for most.
• The annual "best year ever" planning process, focusing on setting clear, intentional goals and narrowing down focus to a single word or goal for the year.
• A lesson from Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, stressing the importance of pain and suffering in building resilience and character.
• 2025 could be a rough year, urging reflection and resilience as part of the process of preparing for the challenges ahead.
• The steady rise in the average age of parents at birth, which correlates with broader economic trends, including rising dual-income households.
• The challenges of wage growth compared to the rising costs of living, and how it's harder to keep up financially.
• The divergence between real wages of good-producing workers and major sector productivity.
• Whether job market softness is causative or correlational, with significant revisions indicating weaker-than-expected job numbers.
• Housing costs are rising, but 52% of newly constructed apartments in Q2 of 2024 were rented within three months, which is down significantly from 2021.
• The cost of buying a home is now higher compared to renting in many cases, yet new apartments are not renting out quickly.
• A rise in homelessness by 18% in the past year, reflecting growing social strain.
• Market trends, including the disparity between intraday and overnight trading, highlight inefficiencies in market timing.
• A nod to Bob Farrell's "10 rules for the stock market," emphasizing the cyclical nature of markets and the dominance of sentiment over fundamentals.
• Emotions often drive investments, and people are drawn to trends like cryptocurrency, regardless of logical fundamentals.
• Cryptocurrency's rise defies fundamental analysis and is driven by factors beyond traditional market metrics.
• Successful investing requires understanding both fundamentals and technical analysis, with the latter helping to determine optimal entry points.
• A trading journal can help track investments, reasons for purchasing, and exit strategies to avoid emotional decision-making.
• Uncertainty in the market should be managed through thoughtful strategy reviews.

For more information, visit the show notes at https://moneytreepodcast.com/2024-wrap-up-673

Today's Panelists:

Kirk Chisholm | Innovative Wealth
Douglas Heagren | ProCollege Planners

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