One year ago today, I wrote this post about what I was looking forward to in 2014. Since year changes are times of reflection, let’s review and see how things turned out:
- Adding new features to Slope: Well, I don’t think I really added much of anything, but frankly, that’s because no one was asking! I really love development, and my hope is that whatever I create is so good that it is years ahead of its time. Take ProphetCharts, for instance. That product stopped being developed eight years ago, and in all that time, it’s still a completely kick-ass product that I’d never swap for anything new. As for Slope, between SocialTrade, the comments system, SlopeCharts, and all the other bells and whistles I’ve added over the years, it is the best financial blog going. So I think I’m done, particularly since no one is asking for anything!
- Giving Slope+ subscribers more than they expect: I think I’ve achieved this, and I hope my subscribers would agree. Slope+ has really become my bread and butter (I assure you, the advertising revenues on the site are inconsequential), thus I have really focused my best ideas and thinking on my beloved subscribers. Once again, if you’re not using Slope+, I encourage you to give it a try!
- Seeing one of my kids become a teen and proving it doesn’t have to suck: This was a total win. Some parents will brag if their child gets a B+ on a spelling quiz; one of our kids could win the Nobel prize, and we wouldn’t say anything. Suffice it to say that the child in question had an extraordinary achievement this year, but my family’s privacy is paramount, so I’ll just say this year was a good year.
- Wiping the smirk off the bulls’ faces with a serious downdraft: Meh, not really. The bears had a few moments here and there, particularly the first two weeks of October, but broadly speaking, the bulls, thanks to the sons of bitches at central banks around the world, have humiliated and beaten up the bears consistently since mid-2010. The smirks are worse than ever, and as much as I’ve love to plunge two butcher knives into the eye sockets of any bull that exists, there’s no meaningful reason to think the smirks will ever leave. Yellen and her ilk tend to protect their own and will push their agenda in perpetuity.
- Actually showing up to a SlopeFest: Mission accomplished! Las Vegas SlopeFest was a success, and it was a pleasure seeing some of you in person.
So am I going to make a post about my hopes for 2015? Nope. As Billy Idol once sang, I’m all out
of hope, one more bad break could bring the fall. I am ending this year with a net worth and a cash balance higher than any past point (which is incredible, considering I’ve been a bumbling bear for years now) but I view the future with more sweeping pessimism than ever.
Doom lies ahead. The only question is……..whose?
Happy new year to Slopers, one and all. I am deeply grateful for your presence here – it provides me a sorely-needed raison d’être – and I am especially humbled at the support of my Slope+ subscribers. I will do my very best to make Slope’s 10th year its best ever, and I am honored you have chosen to come along for the ride.
