Welcome to Aligned Money™, our brand new, weekly newsletter that will help you to align your money with your purpose.

For those who have worked with me for a while, thank you so much for allowing me to serve you. You are appreciated.

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A new year has started, and most of us are preparing for knock down our goals. This year, we plan on releasing more content, serving more households, and and nurturing all of the relationships that we’ve built over the years.

If you haven’t already be sure to schedule a time to chat with us so we can assess any new goals that you might have in this New Year.

Now, let’s get to the rest of the newsletter. Thanks for being here.

3 Things I’m Watching this Year

It’s that time of year when most people are being introspective about the recent past year. It’s when we begin to set new goals, and build strategies on how we want to attack this fresh, new 365 days.

For advisors like myself, it’s a time where the scoreboard goes to zero and we begin to strategize on the best ways to help our clients reach their financial goals.

After a year like last year, there are three things in particular that I’ll be keeping a close eye on, and you should too.

Company Earnings

If I had to distill investing into its most simple form, I’d say that Investing is depositing dollars into quality companies for compound growth over a period of time.

Last year was a great year for stocks. The S&P 500 was up nearly 25% after one of the worse years in recent times. Yet, if you really take a look at the performance of the stock market, most of the growth was held in a handful of outperforming stocks: Nvidia, Apple, and Meta to name a few.

What this means for you

Every year, I come across people who change opinions on the market based on what the market is doing. When the market is up, the market is the best thing that ever happened to man. When it is down, they question why the stock market exists in the first place.

Whether or not this is you, I think the lesson here is that the old adage rings true in 2024 and beyond: buy low, sell high, stay patient and diversified. With all-time highs in the market - some of which maybe a little irrational - it’s important to keep realistic expectations and to keep greed at bay.

The only way to glean any knowledge on what markets might do in the next year is to keep a close eye on company earnings, federal policy (rising of interest rates) and historical events that have impacted markets in the past. The performance of companies will tell a story that headlines will not and that’s why I’ll be watching them closely in 2024.