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While “investing success” can mean different things to different investors, determining its meaning is essential to understanding what path to follow. Toward that end, there are four principles that provide a solid framework for improving the chances of investment success: goals, balance, cost, and discipline. By incorporating these guiding principles into your investment strategy and your children's financial education, you can reduce the noise and distractions of the ups and downs of market cycles and focus on the things within your control.

The good fortune of high productivity growth and a surge in available labor has propelled the U.S. economy, while other economies have been less lucky. A key risk to the U.S. outlook is the potential waning of the positive supply-side factors, though expansionary fiscal policy may cushion any negative impact on growth as the era of sound money lives on.

The expectations of an economic soft landing and favorable equity market in both 2023 and 2024 were possible due to the positive underpinnings of a healthy labor market, falling inflation, and a Fed pivot to rate cutting. In 2025, however, expectations are higher, policy shifts are underway, and several new factors that include tariffs, trade wars, budget deficits, long-term interest rates, and stock market valuation are primed to collide.

Emerging markets (EMs) remain an efficient gateway to powerful secular themes, from technology-driven transformations to consumer growth stories. However, expectations of higher U.S. interest rates and a stronger dollar are likely to challenge EM currencies and investor sentiment in 2025, and the 2024 U.S. election introduced a new layer of uncertainty. While EMs present a landscape of opportunity amid increasing macroeconomic headwinds, investors should be prepared for uneven outcomes across regions.

Growth is at the top of the menu for finance leaders as Grant Thornton’s CFO survey shows that the uncertainty associated with the U.S. election in 2024 has given way to unrestrained optimism about the U.S. economy and meeting business goals. Other results from the survey were broadly aligned with high growth expectations—and with the transformation to an increasingly digital landscape that has been a focus for CFOs for the past few years. As CFOs look ahead, the environment appears to favor investment in growth.

Large transactions have increased as real estate megafunds place bets across real estate sectors and investors bet their capital on the operational knowledge of seasoned fund managers. But it’s not all about megafunds—middle market funds will also be taking advantages of opportunities in the marketplace where rates are normalizing and repricing is becoming clearer. For families seeking new investment strategies to increase their cash flow and achieve long-term appreciation, more investments in real estate makes sense.