A Dead 2025 and A New-Born 2026 - My Speech

Wow! And just like that, here we are in 2026.

When you realize that in 80–100 years all of us will have departed this earth, you begin to truly appreciate how quickly time passes. I hope 2025 unfolded in the way you envisioned and planned. Even if it didn’t, and I know for most people it didn’t, I want you to be proud of yourself and be gentle with yourself. We cannot figure everything out in a single year, for we are only human.

Now that we’ve stepped into 2026, there’s no time to waste. I’ll begin with a review of 2025 and then share how I envisage 2026 to unfold.

                     "For vision is clear, but my path, not so much. I must stay disciplined."

If there’s one thing I got right about 2025, it was that interest rates would dominate the conversation. Where I missed the mark was in predicting Trump’s vision for America and the impact of DOGE. Pardon my optimism (I tend to be that way by default), but DOGE proved ruthless in its operations, and just when I thought I understood Trump’s economic policy, I was blindsided by how haphazard it turned out to be. Whether there's some sense to the madness or, better still, order in the chaos, remains to be seen. 

Fortunately, I never made investments based on politically motivated economic policies. I stuck to the data and my interest rate/liquidity-driven style of investing. One thing governments have never left to the free market is legal tender. They decide what people use as money, holding a monopoly in this area. And whenever there’s a monopoly, inefficiency follows. That’s why we see rampant inflation, with governments increasing the money supply.

This very action creates boom-and-bust cycles, which shaped one of my investing styles: follow the data, sit in cash when inflation surges, and buy assets once inflation is under control. If that sounds too technical, here’s the simple version: every time the government prints money, your savings lose value.

On personal milestones in 2025, I kept up my reading habit, mostly personal development and economic/personal finance books. I also consumed countless articles, especially from Wolf Street, which became a regular source of insight. https://wolfstreet.com/, investing.com, Yahoo Finance, and some others. Among them was The Science of Self-Discipline by Peter Hollins, which emphasized the importance of vision: seeing where you’re going helps you maintain the discipline to eventually get there. I was struck by how this scientifically proven concept had long been echoed by the great philosophers of ancient Greece. Even the Bible states, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” Proverbs 29:18

2025 was the year I sat back and weighed the risks of holding the kind of vision I do. Life often seems to move in one direction while you head in another. At times, it was frightening, and doubts crept in, making me wonder whether to call it a day. But when you think about waking up when you want, deciding what you want to do, and working on things that impact not only yourself but others at your own pace, you muster the self-discipline to forge ahead.

Those doubts also led me to reflect deeply on inequality, debt, and global chaos. Not doubts about my personal goals, but about us as a collective. Inequality, in particular, never left my mind. After much thought, I concluded that inequality is simply part of who we are, and nothing can eradicate it completely. By our very differences, whether by nature or design, we are destined to live in societies marked by inequality. Even debates about equality of opportunity versus equality of outcomes only highlight our differences in thinking, which themselves reveal inequality.

Whenever I discussed this with others, the conversation inevitably turned to billionaires. But serious discussion was difficult because emotions ran high. You cannot talk about differences in wealth without talking about the value each person provides to the marketplace. There’s a reason a doctor or engineer earns more than a bartender. How did some become engineers while others became bartenders? These are uncomfortable questions that demand honest reflection. Even among billionaires, some have one billion, others tens of billions, and the differences persist. That was 2025.

Now, in 2026, I have themes to guide my decisions. We’re not done with Trump and his push for interest rate cuts. These are central to his administration’s success, but how he pursues them will be key. Once again, interest rates will shape the year. What makes this moment unique is the rise of artificial intelligence. Most companies have integrated AI into their workflows, cutting jobs as a result, and more job losses are coming.

The U.S. central bank has a mandate to ensure stable employment and inflation. They could cut interest rates to boost the labor market, but if job losses are primarily AI-driven, those cuts may not serve their purpose. In a tight-money environment, companies lay off staff to shore up capital. But in this case, jobs are being replaced by AI, or companies are pivoting to AI-driven growth. Governments will need small and medium-sized businesses to expand and absorb displaced workers. If that fails, interest rate cuts could simply fuel asset prices and unproductive ventures, leading to massive inflation.

What makes this scenario worse is Trump’s push, which risks undermining the central bank’s independence. If this continues deep into 2026, gold prices could rise, yields on U.S. securities could climb further, and inflation could roar again. These are the dynamics I’ll be watching closely this year.

Why do I pay such attention? Because most of our stress comes from bills and money, and the carelessness of politicians often erodes the value of our savings. Many people don’t understand how money works or even what money is. At its core, money is a medium of value exchange. The more value you provide, the more money you earn. That was the principle until politicians distorted the so-called “free market,” which isn’t truly free because they hold a monopoly over what counts as money.

This is why some billionaires can appear foolish; it’s not always that they created value, but that they happened to invest in something that became valuable. Take the stock market: you don’t need to be a genius to make money from it. You simply put your money in and leave it there. Historically, it has compensated for the inflation caused by careless politicians.

I don’t know what will occupy my mind this year, but I am clear on my vision, and forward I march. Everything else is secondary. This is the mindset I wish for you. Discipline becomes easier when you see what you are becoming. So, going into 2026, my watchword is DISCIPLINE. Scientific literature has documented that discipline leads to a better life. Let that be your watchword

There is much to be hopeful for, and I hope you carry that hope with you this year. Life is short, and there is no time to waste. Live your life as you see fit. Too many people, on their deathbeds, regret not living the life they truly wanted, instead of the one society dictated. Don’t let that be your story. Be a little selfish, be yourself. I enjoy my path and work based on the vision I see. I hope you do too.

Happy New Year 2026.