The year 2024 is here and I am hopeful everyone had a wonderful start to the New Year! A new year brings new opportunities, new goals, new possibilities and new beginnings. If 2023 was not the best year you desired, now is time to start afresh! The beginning of a new year gives us the desire to do new things and get rid of old habits or things that weighed us down in the last year. One of the top resolutions of the year is to lose weight and exercise! Fitness goals start off good and you see gyms or workout facilities all over the country full for the first few weeks and then the attendance always falls off when people go back to their old ways and habits. Therein lies the problem, we start things that we do not finish. Let 2024 be your year to “finish well”. Let 2024 be the year you not only start your goals or life changes, but you keep them going! It’s nothing like starting something and sticking with it! It might be hard at first, but if you keep at it, eventually it will get easier and you will begin to see the results of your efforts. Let me be your cheerleader and encourage you to soar in 2024!
Speaking of soaring, the stock market soared last year with all the major indexes doing very well. The Dow Jones broke a record finishing at 37,000 points and up by 14% for 2023. The tech heavy NASDAQ fared better, finishing the year up 43%. The S&P 500 also did well, up 24% for the year. If you are someone who does not invest in the stock market or only invested through your company’s 401K, then you may want to consider investing or investing options outside of your company. Investing can be rewarding financially, but it also has risks. So I would encourage you to do your research before investing, including consulting with a financial professional. For me, I am venturing into the stock market this year after years of contemplating it. It is time to get off the sidelines and get into the stock market game! I am eagerly looking forward to it and I plan to add a stock market professional as a contributing writer for the magazine this year! I want my community of readers to be educated more in finance and stocks! Look for articles coming later in the year. This year may also be the year to start your own business! Don’t let fear keep you from going after your financial dreams!
For all the highs that 2023 had, we also lost some people along the way. We pay homage to the former Dallas DA Craig Watkins. He was not only the first Black District Attorney in Dallas, but in the State of Texas as well. He was a fervent believer in exonerations and was known nationwide as an activist. Countless people today are free because of the fight he fought for them. He served as Dallas DA from 2006 until 2015. We also recently lost former Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson. She was a giant in politics as she served as the first Black woman elected to public office in Dallas in 1972. She was the first woman to lead the Texas House Labor Committee, becoming the first woman in Texas history to do so. She had many other pivotal achievements, such as the first Black woman to serve as regional director for the Department of Health, Education and Welfare appointed by President Jimmy Carter in 1977, the first registered nurse to serve in Congress and was elected to represent the Dallas area in the U.S. House from 1993 until 2023. Former Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson and Dallas DA Craig Watkins will be greatly missed and we are grateful for their immense contributions.
I would be remiss for not congratulating the DeSoto Eagles and the Duncanville Panthers on back-to-back state football championship wins! Southern Dallas continues to be the absolute best of the best in football! Also, a shout out to the South Oak Cliff Bears! Although they came up short, they still achieved making it back to the state championship and I know this year they will win it again!
I thank God for blessing the magazine with a great 2023 and I look forward to bringing you stories and articles that will be a blessing to you in 2024!
Until next time, may God bless and keep you is my prayer.
The Publisher & CEO
James Valentino Thomas II
