Your Money

Like 2022 as a whole, the last trading day of the year gave up early gains to finish in the red, proving to be the worst environment for stocks since 2008. The worst of the major U.S. stock indexes was the tech-heavy NASDAQ, down -33% for the year.

Inflation remained stickier than many expected, forcing the Federal Reserve to kick off its most aggressive interest-rate increases in decades. Russia’s war in Ukraine and the subsequent scrambling of energy markets caught investors off guard, and the specter of a global recession loomed.

• Broad Market (S&P 500):  +7.6% 4Q  |  -18.1% YTD
• Small Companies (Russell 2000):  +6.2% 4Q  |  -20.5% YTD
• International Stocks (EAFE):  +17.0% 4Q  |  -13.9% YTD
• Emerging Markets (MSCI EM):  +9.6% 4Q  |  -19.9% YTD
• Bonds (Barclays Agg): +1.9% 4Q  |  -13.0% YTD

Personal video statements will begin going out next week.

The Year Big Tech Stocks Fell From Glory
by Hannah Miao

Your Life

Pertaining to clothing, sales of irons have decreased as sales of steamers have increased. The steamer product category is predicted to grow to $2.5 billion in sales by 2025, according to the market research firm Arizton. Before you throw away your iron, please take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of the steamer and the iron. 

Plus, on the fashion front, Christine Fellingham, former editor at Glamour and O: The Oprah Magazine, writes that the sustainability movement has created a desire for the natural, authentic, and imperfect as opposed to the starched-and-pressed look, therefore, bolstering the argument for steamers.

Steamer vs. Iron: The Pros And Cons
by Beth McCallum

Complexity Simplified

Trivia