Stephen Frankola sends: Some reflections on 2008:
The presidential candidate promising “change” has now promised to deliver more of the same (but worse)… bigger deficits, bigger government, more spending, and more bloat.

I changed my major from finance to accounting due to my observations and expectations about the job market in two years. Accounting seems like a much safer choice

The stock market performed poorly during the year, and even more poorly during certain months (October). I lost a lot of money.

Looking forward to 2009:
I’ll begin regularly posting again!

It’s now the time of year when Whacks Wax, my business, is in full swing. I’m hoping it’s a good winter, as I’d like to be able to reinvest some business profits back into the market.

Things may get better…
But right now, predictions are looking gloomy. Major blue-chip companies like Alcoa (AA) and Intel (INTC) are announcing job cuts, revenue decreases, and decreased expectations.

I expect general economic weakness for a while, but there are opportunities for good investments in individual companies/investment vehicles in the short term. (Of course, I’ll be writing about those!)

All things considered, I had a great 2008 from the viewpoint of a 19-year-old college student. The market sucked… but spring semester, my internship, and fall semester were all great. I obviously hope for a better market (or at least better individual performance!) during 2009, but it’s wonderful to be able to step back from the doom and gloom because of current position in life. Obtaining an internship this summer might be a little difficult, but at least I’m not getting laid off from an actual full-time job…

So check back in regularly, as I will begin posting the same stock, commodity, and market analyses that I had prior to my publishing slowdown this fall.