2023 was a great year for the stock market. The graph doesn’t take dividends into consideration. If you include those, the S&P 500 was up 26% this year!
Does this mean the stock market will continue to go up?? WHO KNOWS. There will be plenty of people who tell you it can’t keep going up. BUT, as always, do NOT listen to them and stick to your investment plan.
Remember that really good years and really bad years are both quite normal and are part of the process. 2021 was a great year. 2022 was a terrible year. 2023 was a great year. There will be many more times during the course of your investing career that feel terrible. And many that feel great.
Don’t forget, only invest money that you don’t plan on using in the next few years. It can be tempting when the market goes up to invest your emergency fund and the money you are saving to buy a new car. But you should NOT do this! On any given year, the market could be up by 50% or down by 50%. It’s impossible to know. So, it’s important to not invest money you will need in the coming few years.
As always, reminding you to build wealth by following the two PFC rules: 1.) Live below your means and 2.) Invest early and often.
Vivi & Shane
