Julien and Kiersten Saunders have made a name for themselves as the regular rich couple, with a mission to inspire better conversations about money and help everyday folk tackle their finances, build wealth and, as their book title suggests: cash out.
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Their advice comes from personal experience. After entering into many tough conversations about money among themselves, friends and others, they buckled down and paid off $200,000 in debt, learned to invest and started their business, Rich®ULAR, in 2017 to help others invest with purpose and intelligence.
On a recent YouTube vlog, they discussed what trends people should expect and take advantage of in 2025. Here are the top three.
Stock Market New Normal
If you held a S&P 500, Nasdaq or Dow index fund in 2024, you made some nice profits. According to a CNBC year-end report, the S&P 500 was up 23.31% for the year, the Nasdaq was up 28.64% and the Dow was up 12.88%. In fact, for the years 2023 through 2024, the S&P 500 was up 53%, the largest gain since the 66% boom of 1997 and 1998.
Julien sees that as the new normal — sort of. He said companies, especially in tech, are much more efficient now, and that has resulted in investors expecting these outsized gains.
But be careful, he warned. In 2025, we’ll see continued waves of growth, but like all waves, he said they will also come with crashes. “If you can’t accommodate the downside risks, don’t take it on,” he warned. His point was that the investors who make a lot of money are the ones who can hold on through the downsides, through the losses. So take that into account when investing.
The recent Nvidia crash, experiencing the biggest market loss in history in the wake of China’s release of its DeepSeek AI model, is a prime example. In one day, Nvidia lost nearly $600 billion in a 17% fall, according to Forbes. That will test your nerves as an investor.
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The Year of Crypto
Kiersten believes 2025 will be the year crypto is unleashed and legitimized. According to her, because the Trump administration is bullish on freeing crypto from regulations, which she believes are holding it back from going completely mainstream, it will finally have its moment.
She proffered the analogy of a beach ball being held underwater: when the restraints are cut loose, look out. She said this will result in crypto values rising and the end of the “wild wild west” phase of the investment.
She also issued a warning, however. There are a lot of unknowns in this space, as well as a lot of excitement. So it’s important to know your goals well ahead of time to avoid being seduced by every overnight trend.
Humanity Double Down
AI, AI, AI. It seems that’s all anyone talks about these days. How it’s going to revolutionize the workplace — and put everyone out of work chief among them. And yes, many jobs will go the way of the buggy whip, fast. But, said Julien and Kiersten, what it will really do is realign what skills are valued. Rising to the top will be human skills that compliment AI usage and integration.
Julien’s point is that the skill that was most desired when he was coming up — productivity — will become a cheap asset. You can’t out-produce AI. The new in-demand skills will be critical thinking, creativity and emotional intelligence.
“These human attributes are going to be very essential in this new world of work,” said Kiersten. “Double down on your humanity.”
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 3 Money Trends You Shouldn’t Ignore in 2025, According to Julien and Kiersten Saunders
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