#38 - Year 1 of the Gazette

Author

Graham Schroeder
December 27, 2024

Your home base for investing, finance, personal growth.

Market Recap

  • U.S. Natural Gas Expansion

    • The United States is already the world's largest LNG exporter, and may be poised for significant growth in export infrastructure, with political support under the incoming administration promising to fast-track projects, despite environmental and price volatility concerns.

    • Industry leaders urge the opportunity and need to build more facilities, arguing that American LNG can replace Russian gas and coal globally, countering fears of overbuilding or creating a supply glut.

    • This expansion presents opportunities to invest in companies involved in LNG production, export infrastructure, or related supply chains. With the U.S. poised to meet global demand, these sectors may experience long-term growth.

  • Toyota Doubles ROE Sparks Investor Optimism

    • Toyota's ($TM) shares surged following a report that the automaker plans to double its return on equity (ROE) target to 20%. This would require significant measures to improve profitability and shareholder returns.

    • Analysts speculate that achieving the target may involve strategies like increasing dividends, buybacks, or selling equity holdings, which could lead to enhanced capital efficiency and attract more investor interest.

    • Toyota's stock, already outperforming broader indexes this year, saw its largest two-day advance since August. Analysts predict continued positive momentum as the company implements these bold financial strategies.

  • Roth 401(k) Adoption Grows: What Savers Need to Know

    • Over 93% of 401(k) plans now offer a Roth option, a significant increase from 62% a decade ago. The Secure 2.0 Act is expected to make Roth 401(k)s even more common by requiring catch-up contributions for high earners to be Roth-based starting in 2026.

    • Roth 401(k)s allow savers to pay taxes upfront, avoiding taxes on withdrawals in retirement. This is especially beneficial for younger workers or those in lower tax brackets, making it a key strategic decision based on expected future tax rates.

    • Unlike Roth IRAs, Roth 401(k)s have no income caps and higher contribution limits, making them accessible to high earners and allowing for greater retirement savings flexibility and tax diversification.

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Freedom Fund Portfolio

Freedom Fund Background: I created the Freedom Fund as a public brokerage account back in October of 2022 to share that anyone with a social security # and a bank account can begin their investing journey by investing a couple hundred dollars a week. Every week and month I post on X (@GrahamInvesting) public updates about the purchases, exits, dividends, and growth of the fund if you want to follow in real time. The biggest obstacle people have to investing is just getting started so I decided to start a new account at $0 to start from nothing with you.

Graham’s Gazette - Year 1 In Review

As I sit down to reflect on this past year of writing the Gazette I have a lot of thoughts about the small growth in subscriber count, documenting market trends, and writing about the Freedom Fund for 38 weeks in a row now. Since I started the Gazette in April, this has been more than just a platform for me to document financial education and growth—it’s been a start of a new journey. Every edition of this newsletter has been a chance to connect, grow, and hopefully serve some motivation for the subscriber base. Let’s take a look at the stats from this year:

  • Audience - 79 Subscribers

    • Subscribers from 5 countries consisting of the U.S., Mexico, Spain, Netherlands, and Bulgaria.

    • 14 of our subscribers have taken advantage of the referral program. Make sure to share the Gazette with others. Only 5 referrals gets you a free coffee mug! More referral prizes will be rolled out in 2025.

  • Post Performance - 75.74% Open Rate

    • The fact that ¾ of my subscribers open up the Gazette every Friday makes me even motivated to keep producing in 2025.

    • The average open rate for newsletters is around 17-28%. That means that the audience here is high quality. Props to you all for taking an interest in the info I have to share!

    • As the count grows just know I truly appreciate my original subscribers and have taken notes of who you all are.

  • Average Click Rate - 14.19%

    • The ad revenue that I earn from the Gazette is minimal at this point but I really appreciate any ad clicks I get from you all. This will allow me to continue to grow the newsletter over time and allow me to do more with it.

  • 38 Posts Sent, 45.2k Words Written, and 3.9k Post Impressions

    • 2025 will consist of 52 more editions of the Gazette. Every Friday morning straight to your inbox.

    • In order to scale the Gazette there may be a rebranding at some point and I am working with some newsletter mentors on some potential changes in the future.

Looking back, I can’t help but feel thankful for everything this year has brought. Writing The Gazette has been a great creative outlet for me, and it’s all because of you—your support, your feedback, and the connection we’ve built through these weeks. I thoroughly enjoy when people respond with questions about stocks, articles, or give me feedback on what people find or hear on their own when it comes to a particular company. In 2025 I look forward to continue to provide insight into three market trends every week, show you how I am continuing to stack the foundation in the public Freedom Fund brokerage , and share quotes and deep dives that I find meaningful to our personal and professional lives.

Also… be on the lookout for a new website reveal! 🔜

The purpose of this newsletter is to encourage you and our other 79 Gazette subscribers to start and stay consistent with your personal, professional, and financial journey.

Thanks for investing your time reading this.

Disclaimer: Graham’s Gazette provides information and resources related to investing, financial topics, and personal growth for educational and entertainment purposes only. The content presented is not intended to be construed as financial advice. Readers are encouraged to conduct their own research and consult with qualified professionals before making any financial decisions. Graham’s Gazette and its creators do not assume any responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of the information provided nor do they guarantee any specific results from such use of information.