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Hi Reader,

It's easy to be cynical and pessimistic about the world. Almost everything we see and hear on the news and around the water cooler tends to focus on what is going wrong in the world or all the things that could go wrong.

Rarely do we pause to consider all the things going right in the world. And because having a positive view of the future is so important to your long-term investing success, I thought I might offer a few amazing news stories that you probably haven't seen that will, hopefully, encourage you to be a little more (or a lot more) optimistic about the future.

But first,

🎙️ Did you catch the most recent podcast episode? Listen to "How to Secure Your Legacy" as Eric and guest, Susan Barnett discuss the choice between wills and living trusts, emphasizing the need for estate planning for life's unforeseen events, and underscoring the crucial role of a financial power of attorney. Listen Now ➡​

Now, let's get into it.

Clean Energy:

• Nuclear Fusion: In 2022, scientists produced a nuclear fusion reaction that released more energy than it used for the first time. The success continued into 2023 as scientists replicated the achievement multiple times, essentially recreating the power of the sun. While we're very early in these discoveries, if scientists are successful, this could be a source of near-limitless clean power. (Source: CNN)
• Battery Power: At least until more abundant clean energy sources are ready, it's remarkable how much battery power storage will be available soon. In fact, in 2024, battery power storage capacity is expected to double this year alone. This means that energy created from clean sources can now be efficiently stored until power is needed, which has incredible application across every industry and geography. (Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration)

Health & Technology:

• Wonder Drugs: Obesity is considered to be one of the biggest health problems facing America and the world today. The good news is that, over the last few years, a host of drug solutions utilizing technology originally designed to combat diabetes have shown promise in curbing obesity in a major way. But there's much more to be optimistic about as these same drugs have been shown to improve heart and kidney health, offer the potential to cure drug and alcohol addiction, and show promise in treating Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease as well. (Source: Science.org)
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• mRNA Vaccines: The COVID vaccine was the first FDA-approved vaccine using mRNA research and technology. This technology is now being used to prevent malaria, hopefully eliminating one of the leading causes of death in the world. This same technology (not to mention CRISPR technology) may also hold the keys to beating cancer. (Sources: Malaria: The Scientist; Cancer: NIH, Cedars Sinai; CRISPR: Cancer.gov)
• Artificial Intelligence (AI): When thinking about the future, AI may have more potential than anything else. Despite still being in the early innings of its potential, it's already aiding in more accurate diagnosis of disease and treatment plans while reducing treatment costs, addressing city traffic and congestion issues, and detecting wildfires, amongst many other current applications. And we're just scratching the surface. (Sources: Health: IBM; Traffic: LA Times; Wildfires: Time)

Global Trends:

• A Few Encouraging Trends: Here are just a few things that continue on a positive trajectory: the share of our global population living in extreme poverty continues to fall, Moore's Law (the exponential increase of transistors per microchip) is alive and well, emissions of ozone-depleting substances are down by 99% since 1989, and global emissions of most major air pollutants have started to decline as well. (Sources: Poverty; Moore’s Law; Ozone; Air Pollutants)
• Internet Access & Wealth: Currently, 60% of the global population has internet access, and that number is growing with each passing year. Given the strong relationship between per capita income and internet access, consider the potential that will be unlocked once an additional ~3 billion people gain access to the rest of the world's knowledge. The potential growth in global GDP that could come as a result is almost incomprehensible. (Sources: Internet; Income & Internet Access)

This is just a small sampling of the many wonderful things happening in our world. While it may not eliminate your fears about everything that’s going wrong, I'd like to encourage you to think of the problems we face today as inevitable stepping stones toward a better future since that's what most problems have been throughout history.

Think about it…nearly every great invention and innovation in human history has come in response to some significant human struggle. This being the case, I'll leave you with a great quote from technologist Kevin Kelly on why optimism is the correct worldview. He said,

I couldn’t agree more.

Then, hit reply to this email with any questions. I read and respond to every message. 😃

Keeping Retirement Simple,

Eric Blake, CFP®

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