Angela Keeley-White

Investing can often feel like riding a rollercoaster of exciting highs and daunting lows. This week, we’re digging into the intricacies of the financial planning process, focusing particularly on the importance of understanding market trends and that when you diversify your portfolio it can help play a role in safeguarding your wealth. The Market’s Recent Performance 2024 was a remarkable year for the US stock market, with an impressive 24% increase.

For 2025, there are several material contribution limit increases across retirement accounts. A very good practice is to contribute enough of your salary to receive at least the employer match. Also, pay raises often present an easy opportunity to increase your deferral while reducing your adjusted gross income. If you will be celebrating your 50th birthday this year, it is also a good time to make sure that your HR Department enables the ‘catch-up’ provision on your employer sponsored plan.

International stocks have not done well recently compared with U.S. stocks. The 2024 return of international stocks (as measured by the MSCI World ex USA Index) was just under 5%, lagging by nearly 20 percentage points the return of U.S. stocks (as measured by the MSCI USA Index). And the annualized return of international stocks during the recent 10 years lagged the U.S. by 7.2 percentage points.