‘Tis the Holiday Season to Give Thanks for Financial Success

Happy Black Friday!  So far this holiday season has not disappointed.  The financial markets are winding down what looks to be the third straight year of strong performance.  Long-term patient investors have seen their investments grow in value over the last three years.  That alone is enough to give thanks for a festive financial season.  The climb has not been easy and there have been bumps along the way such as inflation shocks from higher prices, tariff shocks from the negotiations with U.S. trade partners, and recently a challenging economy from the slower pace of U.S. jobs creation.  It has been stated that the financial markets often climb the wall of worry.  That seems to be the case for the positive market returns that have occurred in the last few years.  In spite of the challenges, the markets have continued to move higher.

 The strong financial markets’ performance can be seen from Table 1 below:

Table 1

Markets	Date	% Return Year to Date (YTD)
Dow Jones	Nov. 28, 2025	11.48%
S&P 500	Nov. 28, 2025	15.83%
NASDAQ	Nov. 28, 2025	20.22%

As you can see, thus far, the stock market returns have aligned with the prediction from the Paycheck to Wealth’s blog: 2025 Outlook for the Financial Markets.  This blog predicted low double digit returns for the markets.  Actually, the results so far have slightly exceeded this prediction.  Although there is still one month left in this year, the markets are on pace to complete another banner year.

Additionally, when you consider the Rule of 72 for Doubling Your Money, many long-term investors with high growth investments have seen their accounts more than double over the last three years due to the exceptional market performances.  Will this strong performance continue? No one knows.  Market performance is very hard to predict that’s why time in the market is usually the best strategy.

Paycheck to Wealth will continue to monitor the situation and keep reporting on what’s happening in the markets.  If you would like to discuss your situation, don’t hesitate to reach out.