"With markets reeling from a difficult 4th quarter, we head into the coming year with a number of economic concerns on investors' minds. The S&P 500 index lost 4.38% this year which was the single worst year since the 2008 financial crisis. For every $1 investors had in the S&P 500 index on October 1st, they now have just $0.86 left at the end of the year.

‍The Fed is currently giving investors a "hawkish tone" which does not bode well for future economic growth as rising rates should stifle spending and corporate profits. To make matters worse, it appears there could be a Global Pandemic on the horizon that will cripple our healthcare facilities and bring economic GDP to a grinding halt, the likes of which our modern economies have never experienced before.

With all of this doom and gloom, I predict that we will see a 30% plus rise in the S&P 500 index (31.49% to be exact...) in 2019 alone!

And guess what?? I am so confident in markets and the future events about to unfold that I forecast that the next 3 years will produce the best 3-year return period so far for the S&P 500 since the turn of the century! That's right, get those dollars to work in the markets! Over the next 3 years you will see the S&P 500 index double in value since I am forecasting a 26% annualized return!! Think I'm crazy....just wait and see!

Sincerely,

Scott Wimmer's alter ego, circa December 2018‍

It's December of 2018...

Not a single person would've made that forecast.... Just stop for a moment and think how crazy it would be to see markets lose 13-15% in value over just 3 months to end the calendar year, then somehow accurately forecast the COVID-19 pandemic and go on to confidently assure investors that the US stock market (as measured by the S&P 500) would double in value over the coming 3 years.

‍If we went back in time to December 2018, here were the REAL headlines facing investors:

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January 2019 was the beginning of the single best 3-year period for the S&P 500 index so far this century.......that is not a typo! Again, not a single market forecaster saw this coming and it's comical to believe anyone could've.

You Don't Need Another Forecast or Prediction.......You Need a Plan You Believe In!!!

As we close out 2023, again there is no shortage of news headlines to scare investors from putting cash to work in the markets:

• Inflation could return
• Will we have deflation?
• Mortgage rates
• Will the housing market crash?
• We are coming up on an election year....awesome!
• Corporate earnings are slowing
• American's are increasing their household debt
• Our National debt is rapidly growing
• Congress can't come up with a budget
• Ukraine / Russia Conflict
• Israel / Hamas Conflict
• The sky is blue
• The sun is hot
• ....and it never ends

We have made it through 287 months so far since January 2000. To put that into perspective.......this was also in January 2000:

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Wow, I just had flashbacks to 7th grade year at Wolf Branch and shed a tear thinking about the St. Louis (not Los Angeles) Rams! And how have investors faired so far this century given all of the events that unfolded since that time?

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Through the end of November 2023, for every $1 invested, investors now have $4.89 (assuming no taxes, manager fees, expenses) working for them in the markets. I guess I should've put my savings from cutting grass that summer into a passive stock market index instead of that Scotty Cameron putter and Play Station......

Last year, I covered just how awful the major Wall Street banks and brokerages were at predicting the 2022 calendar year for markets. If I or anyone else out there could actually tell you what is going to happen in the coming year, you would:

1. Think we were probably crazy
2. Be absolutely terrified at the events yet to come (if you actually believed us)
3. Completely ruin your portfolio making alterations in anticipation of the coming events

I'm glad I don't know what is coming for us in 2024 and I'm comfortable admitting this. To embrace the uncertainty in markets is much like embracing the uncertainty of life. The beauty is in realizing that this is the only choice we humans have to grow, adapt, improve and move forward. I have faith in markets because I have faith in human ingenuity and perseverance which; at the end of the day, is the very fabric from which capital markets are made from.

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Disclosures: This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered a recommendation. Information contained in this article is obtained from third party resources that Meredith Wealth Planning deems to be reliable. Consult with a financial advisor before implementing any strategies. Past performance does not equal future results. Meredith Wealth Planning does not guarantee any minimum level of investment performance or the success of any index portfolio, index, mutual fund or investment strategy. You cannot invest directly into an index, and index returns do not account for real life fees and transaction costs. Scott Wimmer did not really make the prediction shown above in 2018.