Prosperion Financial Advisors

Berkshire Hathaway, one of our largest and longest holdings... Amazing business:

How Long it Took U.S. Companies to Reach a $1 Trillion Valuation See how it long it took America's most valuable companies, including Berkshire Hathaway, to reach a $1 trillion valuation in this graphic.

Most Valuable Businesses:

Ranked: The 50 Most Valuable Companies in the World in 2024 See a breakdown of the world's 50 most valuable companies, which represent $34 trillion in combined market capitalization.

Interesting, the US is 4th wealthiest per person in the world... Much to be Grateful for... To whom much is given, much is expected...

Ranked: Countries With the Highest Wealth per Person In this graphic, we show wealth per person by country, highlighting the richest nations in the world across average and median wealth.

Lots of talk about the levels of debt we have as a nation, as individuals... Here is an interesting perspective on debt around the world...

Global Debt Hits a New High of $315 Trillion Global debt has soared to a new landmark, adding $1.3 trillion in debt in the first quarter of 2024 alone.

Who could have accurately predicted the market swings of the past few weeks? If you closed your eyes at the start of August and opened them now, you might think nothing happened... And that's the point. Markets are a long term game, and trying to predict the day-to-day movements is foolish.

Read more in our latest Denver Post article here:

Market Forecasting: A Loser’s Game | Prosperion Financial Advisors It’s Friday, August 2, and I’m writing this article with CNBC open on my browser. The headline shouts, “Dow Loses 750 Points, Nasdaq Enters Correction After Weak Jobs Report.”

Interesting view of poverty rates in America by state...

Mapped: Poverty Rates by U.S State U.S. poverty rates were relatively higher in the South, compared to northern states. Which states saw the highest rates in 2022?

An interesting perspective on valuations since 2000 on these Companies:

Charted: The Surging Value of the Magnificent Seven (2000-2024) From 2012 to July 2024, the value of seven big tech companies known as the Magnificent Seven grew from $1.1 trillion to $15.4 trillion.

Interesting Economic Forecasts.. (NOTE: Forecasters are never accurate)

GDP Growth Projections for Key Economies (2024-2025) We summarize the latest GDP growth projections from the IMF, covering select economies from the developed and developing world.

We all use technology... Some Tech Cos use more electricity than Countries..

Charted: Big Tech Uses More Electricity Than Entire Countries The AI revolution is demanding more electricity usage and Big Tech’s consumption is outpacing entire countries.

A long read.. but insightful:

www.ftportfolios.com

Much handwringing on Americans using so much energy... Here are the facts:

Charted: The Countries Using the Most Energy per Capita In 2023, the world consumed 2% more energy compared to 2022. Which countries consumed the most energy per capita?

A fascinating perspective on Global Markets..

Mapped: The World's Largest Stock Markets (1900 vs 2023) We breakdown the world's largest stock markets by country, highlighting the massive growth of the U.S. and Asia.

Much Chatter about the size of businesses, etc. Here is a good illustration of the size of sectors and the largest business in each...

Charted: The Largest Company in Every Sector of the S&P 500 Among all sectors, Amazon makes up the greatest share of their sector, accounting for 39% of the Consumer Discretionary sector.

Economists tell us the "median price" (middle) of a Single Family Home is $389k.. How much in earnings do you need to be able to afford the median home in your city? Interesting:

Mapped: The Salary Needed to Buy a Home in 50 U.S. Cities As the cost of home ownership nears record levels, we show the household income required to buy a median-priced home in 50 U.S. metro areas.

We all experience inflation, a cancer on the purchasing power of money. Here is an interesting perspective on the price of a common item: the Big Mac.

Mapped: The Price of a Big Mac Across the World The price of a Big Mac varies substantially across the globe. The Big Mac Index uses these price variations to assess currency valuations.

While enjoying our backyard over the recent holiday weekend, my wife and I noticed the immense growth of two trees we planted 20 years ago.

Their progress was quiet, nearly unnoticed, and consistent. Compounding growth, whether in nature or finance, is similar: enough time can bring impressive results.

Read more in Steve's latest article.

Compounding Quietly | Prosperion Financial Advisors Compounding growth, whether in nature or finance, is similar: enough time can bring impressive results. Seemingly every few years, a familiar story is published. A quiet person from a forgotten town, typically with little or no education and a low paying job, accomplishes the unusual.

Interesting Survey on reliability of cars... Interesting Tesla is not in the survey... Talk about bias... The #1 selling car Co. in the WORLD, and they are not in a JD Power Survey... Here is a great perspective on Full Self Driving As a Service, or "FSDAS" https://x.com/jamesdouma/status/1810094134931464613

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-the-most-reliable-car-brands-in-the-u-s/

Ranked: The Most Reliable Car Brands in the U.S. J.D. Power ranked the most reliable car brands in the U.S., based on the number owner-reported problems per 100 vehicles.

Buybacks of the Mag Seven

Charted: Stock Buybacks by the Magnificent Seven While Apple carried out $83 billion in stock buybacks over the last four quarters, Amazon and Tesla didn't report any.

Fast Food Inflation ->

Charted: Inflation Across U.S. Fast Food Chains (2014-2024) Even fast food restaurants have seen their prices surge this past decade. Which ones lead in terms of fast food inflation?

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/charted-u-s-wealth-by-generation/

Charted: U.S. Wealth by Generation This graphic illustrates the distribution of wealth in the United States from 1990 to 2023 by generation, from Millennials to Boomers.

https://prosperion.us/commentary/the-effect-of-presidential-elections-in-charts/

The Effect of Presidential Elections in Charts | Prosperion Financial Advisors The most important takeaway: while elections may create some short-term uncertainty, focusing on long-term investing goals should always be the most important factor in investment decision-making.

I'll bet JP Getty (postumously) has some regrets turning this over to Saudi's...

Visualizing Saudi Aramco’s Massive Oil Reserves This chart compares the proved reserves of major oil companies as of 2022, highlighting the dominance of Saudi Aramco.

Where we do our buying...

Ranked: The 20 Top Retailers Worldwide, by Revenue The global retail landscape is constantly evolving amid shifting consumer behaviors. We show the top retailers worldwide in 2024.

Take a look at your state... And Colorado...

Mapped: The Income Needed to Live Comfortably in Every U.S. State This visualization illustrates the income needed for an individual to maintain a comfortable lifestyle in each state.

If you’ve been to a grocery store lately, the recent announcement from the Federal Reserve is not surprising: inflation seems to be sticky.

For us consumers, this likely translates to higher interest rates for a longer period. As a result it is increasingly important to plan for a lengthy period of high inflation. Here's how:

Planning for Lasting Inflation | Prosperion Financial Advisors If you’ve been to a grocery store lately, the announcement from the Federal Reserve last week should not have been surprising: inflation seems to be sticky. While some progress has been made in reducing the inflation rate, prices remain elevated and are getting higher on many necessary goods and s...

Geoffrey Holt was a single, childless 82-year-old man living in a mobile home park in rural New Hampshire. He was kind, patient, humble, and enjoyed riding his lawnmower around the trailer park.

In 2022, he passed away, leaving a $3.8 million estate to his town. He had quietly and consistently saved and invested his unspent money in stocks. Some might suggest he was unremarkable; I suggest the opposite.

This month Steve focuses on why generosity is such a key contributor to financial happiness.

Finding Financial Happiness, Part 2 | Prosperion Financial Advisors Last month we discussed how Americans are still overwhelmingly dissatisfied with their finances, despite record net worth and increased income. That conversation focused on spending, and how increased inflation in housing, groceries and other necessities has made those higher incomes feel insufficie...

If we consider net worth and income as the two defining factors of household financial health, then Americans have done exceptionally well according to the latest Survey of Consumer Finances release by the Federal Reserve.

In theory, these newfound gains should have translated to “happier” households. Yet consumers are less confident about their finances than ever before.

What’s the disconnect? Why are people seemingly wealthier than ever, yet simultaneously more worried about money, both for themselves and others?

Finding Financial Happiness, Part 1 | Prosperion Financial Advisors Why are people seemingly wealthier than ever, yet simultaneously more worried about money, both for themselves and others?

At the outset of Steve's career, his goal was (and still is) to help people find their freedoms: freedom of time, freedom of work, freedom of relationships, and freedom of purpose. Along the way, he's learned a few key things. Here are his 25 lessons to help improve your investor behavior from 45+ years of working with clients.

45 Years, 25 Lessons | Prosperion Financial Advisors A few weeks ago I attended the retirement party of someone I’ve called a dear friend for over 49 years. Long ago, we were both young financial advisors chasing similar career paths. We even migrated to independent businesses around the same time. His retirement prompted me to reflect with gratitud...

Income Taxes - ARE Progressive...

The most recent IRS data from 2020 underscores the highly
progressive nature of the federal income tax system. Individuals
in the top 1% (those with an adjusted gross income of $548,336
or higher) paid an average of 26% of their income to the Federal
government. Meanwhile, those in the bottom 50%, (earning
$42,184 or less) had an average income tax rate of 3.1%. This
significant difference shows that the top 1% pay an average
federal income tax rate that’s 8.4 times higher than the bottom
half of all taxpayers.

www.ftportfolios.com

Confused about Gaza?

Map Explainer: The Gaza Strip This map explainer looks at the Gaza Strip from a structural point of view, delving into geography, infrastructure, demographics, and more.