Today’s Smart Money Question:

Everyone wants to get advice or guidance when it comes to investing, and a recent Wall Street Journal article featured ten different experts’ predictions for 2025. It made for an interesting read and provided some interesting discussion for this month’s podcast. Today we’ll take a look at a variety of strategies in play for 2025—from focusing on large-cap growth stocks and diversifying beyond the “magnificent seven” tech giants to some experts advocating a complete shift to bonds.

Amid the diverse opinions, one thing is very clear: diversification is key. We’ll explains how spreading investments across large-cap, mid-cap, and small-cap stocks both domestically and internationally, balancing growth and value stocks, and incorporating short and intermediate-term bonds can protect against risks and capitalize on market opportunities.

Beyond investment strategies, we also want to spend a little time sharing practical financial planning tips for the new year, including setting clear financial goals, optimizing retirement contributions like 401(k)s and Roth 401(k)s, and essential considerations when relocating.

We hope you enjoy this look ahead to the new year. If there’s anything you want to focus on and improve, please get in touch and let’s talk about ways we can help.

Here’s some of what we discuss in this episode:

• Be wary of what you see from articles trying to predict the future when it comes to finance.
• Should you expect additional volatility this year?
• Things to consider when thinking about moving or relocating.
• Why snowbirds need to be considering some similar things to folks that are permanently moving.

If you are interested in any of the topics we discussed, please reach out and we would be happy to help you navigate your financial situation.