How We Gained +$20,000 Worth of Wealth in December
With November turning sour, December was tentative. The Santa Claus rally for 2025 came (sort of). In the end, this was another year where recession fears did not materialize. Next year is going to be more of the same; we are learning to take profits (gains) along the way.
Well, back to the intro. My name is Lawrence Delva-Gonzalez, aka the Neighborhood Finance Guy. I write about financial literacy topics that include, but are not limited to, Personal Finance, Better Budgeting, Tax-Efficient Money Management, Steady Growth Investment strategies, Retirement tips, and Net Worth Tracking. The goal is to help you make effective decisions and set S.M.A.R.T+E.R. goals with your money.
I’m sharing our journey from being Poor to being wealthy. As always, the information is free, but the struggle is not sold separately.
Table of Contents
Less Recession Fears, and a muted Santa Claus Rally in December
December 2025 was a rocky month that capped off a dramatic year. Anytime Trump is involved, things can get a bit dicey. The stock market peaked right before Christmas to give everyone warm and fuzzy feelings. But it dropped right after, but picked back up before the ball drop. More proof that you can’t time the market.
The Cocaine Bear market turned into a Red Bull market in 2025 or a Kangaroo analogy. And now, we are back to square one with Venezuela and Minneapolis. Oil barrels are back on the table. My wife and I were unbothered in Brazil for our 5th anniversary trip.
While some people struggle to live in the red, the wealthy are positioning themselves for the next super cycle. Analysts are predicting that the US will come in positive for 2026 but subdued at 7%. We grazed the soil and refueled mid-flight; however, problems (both social and economic) are mounting. The current zeitgeist is consumed with toxic information or misinformation. America has seen its heyday. It will become more expensive, and blaming boomers or anything else won’t help.
The December CPI numbers are out, and people are spending. Jobs picked up, so the Federal Reserve is looking toward moderate rate cuts in 2026. This means that higher prices are here to stay, along with blood pressure and diabetes. Hint, hint, that might have been a warning or a tip for investing in the future or getting on Ozempics?
Be careful out there. People are on a short Trump fuse. It might be a New Year, but it’s still the same confusion. Credit card spending is up, and Savings are down. Total credit card debt was clocked in at $1.23 trillion back in Q3 2025. Household savings rates hovered around 4.6%.
All things considered, brace yourself.
I once wrote, “Try not to scare yourself into putting all your money in a bank savings account at 0.01%. A lot of great companies like Amazon, Google, Apple, and Microsoft are on sale. Down as much as 40%, translates to a solid buy in 2023. You will have to hold until late 2024 to see the wins.“
It was all true. S&P 500 returned 24.23% in 2023, 23.31% in 2024, and 16.98% in 2025. Those who bought and held learned an important lesson. This year, don’t try anything fancy. The economy or the stock market will be struggling to get a footing in Q1 2026. This might linger through Q2 until we galvanize over the 4th of July. Old wounds will close, especially with Trump at the helm. We are on the same old boat, and “Affordability” is the new buzzword. Consumers will be struggling, so this won’t be easy. I’m anticipating at least a +15% increase. I’m not counting out AI innovation, Energy consumption, and Consumer spending.
(When it comes to building wealth) The goal is to lose less when others are losing and win more when others are winning.
A million dollars’ worth of Investments, and a Staycation in December
Stocks rebounded from 2020 levels. But it’s going to be tricky.
Why is that? When the economic cycle contracts, people start to feel tense. Beyond the stress, most begin to blame others for their woes. This includes the rich (first) and politicians (second). Both of which leverage communication and blame it back on immigrants and eventually the poor.
It’s all escalation.
The media pushed both sides for ad clicks for so long that no one trusts authority anymore. The White House tried to redress public concerns but failed again. The forever political season is wearing us all down. Misinformation was allowed to spread for far too long, and now we are paying the price. Meme culture and pessimism are at an all-time high.
“Sit tight and assess.”
Just in case you are bored, feel free to implement the month-to-month financial plan that can help you get rich quickly.
Now back to the December Breakdown
I have a total of ten new fans who read this, so here we go.
If you are new, this article showcases the TNFG monthly Net Worth Breakdown for December 2025. There are always usable financial nuggets and aha moments that might help you along the way.
Stocks Decimated Our December Goals
My wife and I were originally moving south, but the return-to-office mandates messed up 2025. At least my wife was able to get back to DC with a new job. With that financial challenge set, we are still on track to retire early by Year End 2032. We have to be a bit more diligent with costs, so we are traveling more in 2026.
Don’t mind the upcoming photos on Instagram. This will be expensive (nearly $30k). I bring that up to warn you guys that Instagram travel is more expensive than influencers make it seem. On the flip side, we are still hitting some high investment contribution goals.
This is enough for a victory lap considering the year we just had.
Here’s the Quick Summary:
What Happens Next!
The world is changing post-COVID. It’s getting increasingly expensive and nationalist. There is a rise in mental health issues and a slide back to poverty for a lot of people. The transition will be harder by July 2026. Until then, my family plans to keep our heads down, work out, and plan for the next trips.
To close out the year, we hit up Brazil again. Such a refresh to simpler times, where dinners are less than $60 on the high end, and strong drinks are less than $5. Nothing beats some sun, mountains, beaches, and good people. If you ever find yourself in a space where people are singing together, know that it’s a good place.
All in all,+1.13% increase. The cash value growth is shy of $23,357. We will keep socking away money in the first QTR of 2026. And, we will keep choosing to be positive about our odds.
Our Expenses for December 2025
Travel prices are up due to influencer marketing. However, no worries, Brazil is still extremely affordable even if we travel a bit on the +4 star with Micheline meals.
Our mortgages on two properties remain standard. I opted not to do the extra January 2026 payments since we didn’t need the extra tax break. We added more decoration to the in-laws’ house. It’s our second year, and we are getting more efficient. The kids in the neighborhood love the extra lights.
The automotive expenses are high since our car note is $893.53, and adding in insurance every six months, it’s a doozy. The service charges can’t be helped due to the Amex renewals.
So where were the December Wins? Losses?
Debt Repayments. It’s been a long road to debt-freedom, and we still have more years to go. We hit around $100,000 in total repayments. I received a last-minute bonus from work, so that played out well. And, we received extra passive income.
The bumpy road for investing. In total, we added nearly $75,000 to our investments for the year. Short of our goal of $90,000 at the top of the year. However, that’s the point of lofty goals. You miss them sometimes and still end up doing better than most.
December’s investment performance helped us finish north of 22.68% for the year. We contributed to the max in our 401ks, ROTH IRAs, and HSA. Investing is the missing piece to gaining wealth. Even when the market is down. That’s the best time to get into the game while quality companies are discounted.
If you need tips on how to set up a solid portfolio, read How to Build a Long-Term Investment Portfolio Earning 250%.
Savings held at $1,250. After a year of unexpected health crises, we had to up our Acid net/max EF. The net/max financial plan hasn’t failed us yet, but it’s time to hedge our savings bets. We should be pushing that to $50,000 by YE 2030.
What can we honestly do better?
Food and Unexpected Expenses
As stated earlier, we can’t control inflation, shipping costs, and global labor shortages. However, we can control food waste and our waistlines. We can also slow down spending on unnecessary items. Travel is our vice, so we aren’t cutting that. But we can acknowledge that it’s a luxury.
We closed out the year with over $2,083,125. That’s the highlight. Now we set our eyes on the $5 million goal by YE 2030.
What is the Next Step for Us?
Pay off credit cards, travelling to Mexico and Japan, and getting healthier.
Beyond that, here are our overarching goals for 2026:
- Keeping our expenses where they should be. “So stop equating happiness and social acceptance based on the money you spend.“
- Get to $75,000 in M1 Finance, focusing on Growth and Dividend Income that generates at least $2,000 in passive income in 2026. Check out the portfolio in real-time. If you like the platform and want to start investing, I have the $10 for $10 referral if you need it – https://m1.finance/SYdqDJ2SyADC.
- Shooting for a sustained investment rate with the push for a $2.5 Million Portfolio by YE 2028. To help monitor your savings, cash flow, net worth, investments, retirement, and more FREE with Personal Capital! Sign up with my link & get a $20 Amazon gift card. *Terms apply. https://pcap.rocks/lawrencegonz
Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Neighborhood Finance Guy. We highlight financial literacy information, resources, and more on your way to money management goals and personal wealth. Our goal is to help you make S.M.A.R.T.E.R decisions with our money. We do not give investment advice or encourage you to adopt a certain investment strategy. Your finances are up to you. If you take action based on one of our recommendations, we earned $600 as of 12.2025. We operate independently.
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More:
- TNFG’s Top Financial Literacy YouTubers for Beginners, and
- Top Financial Podcasts for Beginners,
- Top Three Apps to Make Budgeting Easier.
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