December Makes You Realize Whether or Not You Have Daily Purpose, LFG Daily - December 19, 2025

Dream Bigger, Sleep Better

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Luke Lloyd, CEO Lloyd Financial Group

Alright, I’ll say it.

December has somehow become a socially acceptable excuse to do… nothing.

I saw a video on social media the other day where someone was bragging — not joking, genuinely proud — that they only had to take 9 vacation days and then had the entire rest of the month off because “they would’ve lost them otherwise.

”The comments were full of applause.

“Living the dream.

”“Must be nice.

”“Goals.”

And here I am, apparently auditioning for the role of the Grinch, thinking: Is this really the dream? Somewhere along the way, December turned into a productivity black hole. Emails slow to a crawl. Meetings get “pushed to January.” Decisions are delayed because “let’s circle back after the holidays.” We collectively pretend the economy is on pause until the ball drops in Times Square.

Now, don’t get me wrong — I’m not anti-vacation. I like time off. I enjoy being with family. I’ll even forgive an ugly Christmas sweater

.But when an entire month becomes something people feel they need to escape from, that’s not a vacation problem. That’s a satisfaction problem.

Here’s the uncomfortable truth:

A lot of people don’t dislike work because it’s December.

They dislike work because they don’t feel fulfilled, challenged, or in control the other eleven months of the year.

So December becomes the pressure valve.

The finish line.

The emotional “I just need to get through this.”

That mindset doesn’t stop at careers — it shows up in finances too.

Most people don’t really enjoy thinking about money. Not because it’s boring, but because it reminds them of tradeoffs, uncertainty, and goals they aren’t sure they’ll reach. So they avoid it. They delay it. They promise themselves they’ll deal with it “next year.”

Sound familiar?

In financial planning, we see this all the time. People who have done well on paper but don’t feel confident. People who have money but don’t feel freedom. People who work hard all year just to mentally check out whenever they can.

Our job isn’t just to talk about portfolios and projections. It’s to help people build a life where they don’t feel like they need to escape from their own reality.

When your financial plan is aligned with what actually matters to you — your time, your family, your purpose — work feels different. Days feel intentional.

And yes, even December feels… normal.

You can still take time off. You can still unplug. But you’re not counting the days until you can stop living your life.

That’s the real goal: dreaming bigger, feeling more in control, and sleeping better — not just during the holidays, but all year long.

And if that makes me sound like the Grinch of December productivity… fine.

At least I’ll be a well-rested one!

Don’t leave your financial future up to chance. Let’s build a plan that gives you confidence today and peace of mind for tomorrow. Click here to schedule a meeting — I’m here to help you take the next step toward financial freedom.

Colin Symons, CIO Lloyd Financial Group

Core CPI was a big surprise, at 2.7% Y/Y vs. exp. 3%. Did the shutdown mess with the numbers?

There are claims they set rent was zero for the month.

BoJ raised rates to 0.75%, as expected, with no mention of yen concerns. This saw the Nikkei up 2% and the yen down 1.2%.

Japan’s core CPI was 3% Y/Y, as expected.

OpenAI hopes to raise $100B at a $830B valuation, higher than the old $750B valuation.

Sovereign wealth funds are expected to be the buyers but this won’t happen quickly.

TikTok signed a deal for the sale of the US unit. That means ORCL, Silver Lake, and Abu Dhabi’s MGX will own 45% of the entity, which had ORCL up 5%.

Options Expiration (OpEx) today, which could change the recent trend of markets.We also have PCE and Existing Home Sales. The Fed is buying more bills and Trump has an announcement at 1PM EST.

What does it all mean? The Fed is providing more liquidity and we have some encouraging tech news, though market reaction is somewhat muted after yesterday’s nice recovery.

Don’t leave your financial future up to chance. Let’s build a plan that gives you confidence today and peace of mind for tomorrow. Click here to schedule a meeting — I’m here to help you take the next step toward financial freedom.

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