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“Make New Year’s goals. Dig within, and discover what you would like to have happen in your life this year. This helps you do your part. It is an affirmation that you’re interested in fully living life in the year to come.”
—Melody Beattie, Author
DID YOU KNOW?
In case you didn't notice, we are already about a week away from the shortest day of the year....and the sun is starting to rise a wee bit earlier and set a wee bit later.... Once you turn the corner things start out very slowly and then accelerate..... a week later we already have about 7 minutes more daylight in New York....in February this pace DOUBLES to about 14 minutes more light per week! ☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️☀️
DID YOU KNOW?
I thought these were some rather interesting New Year's resolution ideas (I know, I know....) that you might consider:
- Stay in touch and reach out to your friends/family for the small things like asking how a doctor's visit went, or a job interview, or....?
- Every day log one activity or moment that brought you joy on that day.
- Any time you pick up something you own that has no more use to you, give it away, donate it or fix it/throw it away if it's broken.
- Try something new when offered to you - anything - to fuel thinking, creativity, connecting and an experience or knowledge you may not have had otherwise. (NY TIMES)
DID YOU KNOW?
The vast majority of economic predictions for 2023 got it wrong, with most assuming a recession after the rapid rate hikes. These are the conclusions of most looking in the rear-view mirror:
- The supply disruptions were the primary cause of inflation after all and this was indeed transitory, although over an extended period. The Fed never needed to raise rates so fast, and can now cut rapidly.
- Massive government spending filled the gap, but the debt levels are unsustainable and will lead to either higher taxes and/or less spending that will weaken the economy and profits in the future.
- Higher rates did not bite as hard as expected. Housing and commercial real estate were impacted the worst by far, but mostly in volume of transactions in the housing sector, not valuation.
DID YOU KNOW?
The combined net worth of the world's 500 richest people surged by $1.5 trillion in 2023, fully rebounding from the $1.4 trillion lost the year prior. And $100 billion is the new Billionaire status-symbol.....$1 billion is just so pedestrian! L'Oreal heiress Francoise Bettencourt is the first female $100 billionaire....in France, not exactly the bastion of capitalism!
DID YOU KNOW?
If you want to rein in your spending in 2024, financial advisers say you first need to sort out where inflation ends and lifestyle creep begins. It's easy to place too much blame for overspending on inflation and the post pandemic fear of missing out and not enough on everything else, financial advisers said. (WSJ)
DID YOU KNOW?
Dallas saw three of Wall Street’s largest banks start construction on new campuses in 2023, cementing their bets on one of the fastest-growing metros in one of the fastest-growing states. The industry’s rapid Texas expansion since the onset of the pandemic means the area now has more finance workers than Chicago or Los Angeles, trailing only New York. Financial and investment analysts, for example, average $102,000 a year in Dallas, almost 30% less than the going rate in New York. But without state and local taxes, and a lower cost of living/housing workers net about the same in spendable dollars... great for corporate/bank profitability for sure! (Bloomberg)
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