Empowered by Purpose

Author

Snowfish
May 22, 2023

Welcome back! Take a moment to reflect on where you currently stand in pursuit of your purpose.

I. Mindset

Do you have a clear understanding of your life's mission or are you still searching for that guiding light? Cultivating a sense of purpose is a transformative journey that evolves as we grow and navigate through different stages of our lives.

The exploration of our purpose often begins during adolescence when we start to delve into our individual identities, values, interests then gets better defined as we grow older.

During different chapters in our lives we may feel lost or stuck with our purpose; especially during middle age. This is a natural part of the journey, as we navigate and explore new roles, responsibilities, relationships and expectations.

Yet, it's during these times that we have an opportunity to reevaluate and reignite our purpose, realigning ourselves with what truly matters to us.

Here are 5 reflections to help cultivate and renew your sense of purpose:

  • Reflect on what you value and how you want to show up in the world- can begin with reading, journaling, reflection or achieved through volunteerism or service to others and then noting what feels most meaningful.

  • Reconsider individuals in your life- Identify those that are most important to you and why. A written reflection or verbal discussion can help identify the relationships and responsibilities that matter most. Prioritize your role and responsibilities by articulating why they are important to you and how they relate to those in your life.

  • Reflect on what gives you a sense of deep satisfaction or joy- Are there certain things you seem especially good at and enjoy doing? Are there ways to direct those skills, gifts, and resources to support the well-being of others? Consider asking friends, family members, or professional peers what strengths they observe in you.

  • Consider what you are most curious about- Learning sparks new ideas and inspire personal growth development. If your interest in a hobby or activity that once fascinated you has waned, it’s an invitation to try something new, today!

  • Review life milestones or challenges and study what you’ve learned- Working through challenges or achieving successes gives us insight that others might find helpful. How might you help others avoid mistakes, learn a new skill, or succeed in life?

Cultivating a sense of purpose is not just about finding answers; it's about asking the right questions and embracing the transformative power of self-discovery.

II. Money

In our budget breakdown last week, I mentioned how savings should be at least 10% of your take home pay. No matter how confident you are in your financial planning, an emergency fund is essential to help you stay afloat if you lose your job, become ill, or incur unexpected expenses.

What interest rate are you getting on your accounts?

With the Federal Reserve increasing rates to combat inflation, many banks are now offering higher rates than they did a year ago- giving you more bang for your buck!

Savings and most Money Market accounts are FDIC-insured, which means that your money is protected up to $250,000 per account owner. With how advanced technology is most banks allow you to open an account online and you can set up automatic transfers from your checking to your savings account on payday to make it seamless.

Here are several banks offering high rates:

  • CIT Bank: 4.85%* APY Platinum Savings, On balances of $5,000 or more. $100 minimum opening deposit

  • UFB Direct: 4.81%* APY Premier Money Market, $5,000 balance requirement otherwise $10 fee per month

  • Bask Bank: 4.75%* APY, No Minimum balance, No Monthly fee

  • Citizens Bank: 4.50%* APY, No Minimum balance, No Monthly fee

  • TIAA Bank: 4.25%* APY Yield Pledge Online Savings account on balances up to $250,000. No Minimum balance, No Monthly fee

  • J.P.Morgan 4.20%* APY Premium Deposit, Minimum deposit of $100,000

  • Marcus by Goldman Sachs 4.15%* APY No Minimum balance, No Monthly fee

*The Annual Percentage Yield (APY) is accurate as of 5/17/2023. The interest rate and corresponding APY for savings is variable and is set at each banks discretion. Interest rates and minimum balances may change as often as daily without prior notice. At no point are these recommendations. Any information or analysis provided via a link to a third-party site are not endorsements of any type and strictly used for informational purposes only. You should always do your own research and due diligence.

III. Markets

The major indices all logged gains this week, which ends a 6 week daze for the S&P 500 where it neither gained nor declined more than 1.0%. Continued outperformance by the mega cap stocks (Nvidia, Meta, Microsoft, Alphabet/Google, Apple) helped to carry performance, yet more stocks under the surface participated this week compared to recent weeks.

Nasdaq 100 (NDX) which has lead the Bull run YTD made a new 52-wk high for the first time in nearly 18 months on Friday.

Do you know what happened the previous times it went over 6 months without a new 52 week high and then finally made one? 👀

A year later higher 14 of 14 times.

Overarching themes driving price action:

  1. Debt ceiling talks- One of the toughest sticking points has been spending caps, a key GOP demand but a red line for a significant bloc of Democrats.

  2. Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said Friday the central bank may not need to hike interest rates as aggressively as it previously planned in its ongoing fight against inflation after the regional banking crisis made it more difficult to access credit.

  3. Artificial Intelligence Mania Continues- Recent AI advances are fueling optimism over how businesses can operate more productively in the years ahead. The AI market is valued at nearly 100 billion U.S. dollars and is expected to grow 20x by 2030, up to nearly two trillion!

Stocks to Watch

GOOG tagged our first price target of $125! Here’s what I said in the last post 🎯

If you missed it, watch for a pullback to $110 for possible reentry.

IMGN popped back on May 3rd on ovarian cancer news and has been flagging since. Friday it closed trying to breakout. This is a new 5yr high for it. Price targets $16, $18, $20.

Entry signal at $14-$14.50, risking $13.30

PACB is right at the $12.75 breakout level. Has been in a slow grind up since September making higher lows. Over $12.75 has room to $16.50, $18 and $20

Entry signal over $12.75 risking $11.50

*None of these stocks above are recommendations to buy, sell or trade. We do not give financial advice, you should always do your own due diligence and practice proper risk management.*

We do teach how to read charts and market sentiment weekly on Monday’s via zoom, if interested reply and we’ll send you a free invite link to check us out.

This segment is brought to you by Ceni Capital which was founded as a way to foster a community of like-minded individuals and empower them to create long term wealth by capitalizing on shorter term investments.

Photo byTusik Only on Unsplash 

Purpose is not a static destination we reach once and forever→ it is a process of growth and evolution that requires introspection, self-reflection, and a willingness to adapt.

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See you next week!👋

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