488: On to 2025

Wealth Formula Nation, First and foremost, let me start by wishing you a Happy New Year! It's 2025, and as we shake off the confetti and champagne from the celebrations, we step into a year full of possibilities—and, let's be honest, plenty of question marks. Every new year brings its own share of challenges and opportunities, but this one feels particularly charged. We're looking at a world where the economic landscape is being rewritten in real time. There's a new administration in Washington, which always stirs up the pot, but this time, it's not just a change in leadership—it's a potential sea change in policy. So, what's ahead? Will we see sweeping tax cuts as promised? And if so, how will those affect deficits, inflation, and interest rates? Can the economy sustain the heat, or are we looking at overheating and runaway inflation? Then there's the topic of spending cuts—are they realistic, or will they end up being all talk and no action? And tariffs—will they be wielded as an economic weapon, and if so, how much will they impact everyday consumers? These aren't just academic questions—they have real-world implications for your investments, your business, and your financial future. For example, real estate investors are watching interest rates like hawks. The Fed said they were going to lower them throughout 2025 but then backed off on those statements in the last meeting, taking more of a wait-and-see position. Meanwhile, deregulation could create new opportunities for businesses, but will it go far enough to make a real difference? It's a lot to unpack, and that's what this week's guest on Wealth Formula Podcast will help us do. Joining me is Howard Yaruss, an economist, professor, and author of Understandable Economics, a book that breaks down economic concepts in a way that's accessible to all of us. Howard has the ability to take complex ideas and make them relatable, and he's here to share his insights on what we might expect in 2025.