Thirty Years of Faithful Stewardship: Reflections on 2025, Gratitude This Holiday Season, and a Hopeful Horizon for 2026

Dear Friends and Partners in the Journey,

As the lights of Christmas, Hanukkah, and this sacred season begin to glow, I find my heart overflowing with gratitude. This year marks a milestone I never dared dream of when I first hung out my shingle: thirty years ago, Global WEALTH (Oxford Asset Management was our first name) opened its doors—really just a small office, a single phone line, and a young advisor who believed that financial peace was possible for anyone willing to choose discipline over debt.

In those early 1990s evenings, many of you sat with me at kitchen tables littered with credit-card statements. We drew up your first budgets on yellow legal pads, calculated how many months (or years) it would take to be free, and—yes—actually cut up credit cards with scissors while the coffee cooled. I was part Dave Ramsey, part tough-love brother, and you were brave enough to let me walk with you through the hard conversations. Today, many of those same households have eight-figure net worth, fat retirement accounts, and grandchildren’s college funds that are already fully seeded. You tell me—often with a catch in your voice—that you would not be where you are without those nights of scissors and resolve. I tell you, with the same pause, that I would not be celebrating thirty years without your trust and persistence. What a privilege it has been to watch God turn faithfulness in small things into abundance beyond imagining.

Looking Back: 2025 in the Rear-View Mirror

This has been another year that tested resolve and rewarded patience. Markets climbed to repeated record highs, carried forward by strong corporate earnings and the Federal Reserve’s careful pivot toward lower rates. Inflation continued its welcome retreat, trade tensions flared and then moderated, and the American economy once again proved more resilient than the headlines suggested. Through it all, we stayed the course—diversified, disciplined, and grateful for the growth that steady hands can capture.

Year-End Planning: A Few Gentle Reminders Before the Calendar Turns

With only a few weeks left in 2025, here are the items rising to the top of my checklist for you:

• Tax-loss harvesting and Roth conversion conversations—deadlines are firm, opportunities are real.

• Charitable giving: bunching deductions or directing gifts through a donor-advised fund can still move the needle for 2025.

• Required Minimum Distributions: If you’re 73 or older, remember a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) lets you satisfy the RMD while excluding the amount from taxable income—an elegant double blessing.

• Estate plan check-up: Many of you have told me this year, “We still only have that simple will from twenty years ago.” If you do not yet have a up-to-date will and revocable living trust (or if your documents have not been reviewed since the SECURE Act changes), please carve out time in early 2026. I’m happy to connect you with trusted estate counsel.

• Portfolio rebalancing: Because I manage your accounts with discretion, I am already executing the December rebalance this month—trimming winners, adding to laggards, and keeping risk aligned with your plan. No action required on your part other than the usual thumbs-up when the statements arrive.

A Quick Glance Toward 2026

Most major forecasters expect U.S. growth to settle into a steady 2–2.5% lane (with 3-4% possible with public policy wins)—slower than the post-pandemic rebound but healthy and sustainable. Inflation appears poised to drift toward the Fed’s 2% target, opening the door to perhaps one or two more rate cuts. Artificial intelligence continues to move from headline to balance sheet, lifting productivity in ways we are only beginning to measure. Geopolitical crosswinds remain, but the broad economic current looks favorable for patient investors.

From My Heart to Yours

Thirty years. I am humbled, grateful, and daily aware that none of this would have been possible without the steadfast loyalty of clients who became friends, and without the quiet providence that has ordered our steps. Every market crash we’ve endured together, every celebration of a child’s college graduation or a debt-free retirement—these are the threads that make up the tapestry I get to look at every day and say, “Look what the Lord has done with diligence and faithful stewardship.”

Whether you’ve been with me since the credit-card-cutting parties or you’re a newer member of this extended family, please receive my deepest thanks this Christmas season.

If you know someone who could use the kind of long-term, no-nonsense guidance we provide—someone tired of chasing hot tips or worrying about the next headline—please introduce us. I’d be honored to offer them a complimentary portfolio review and a cup of coffee (virtual or in person).

May God's grace and the peace of this holy season settle over your home, and may 2026 bring you continued health, joy, and the quiet confidence that comes from knowing your financial house is in order.

With warmest affection and abiding gratitude,

Jim Palumbo

CEO & Founder

Global WEALTH, LLC

Thirty years and counting—by Providence alone.