Gallant Macdonald - Insights May 2023

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GENERATIONAL SHIFT

Graph depicting downward sloping lines depicting decrease in marriage rates from 1960-2018.

Another chart putting data behind something we all intuitively know – there are less people getting married (and they are doing it later). This also lines up with data around birthrates falling rapidly in developed economies. Demographics are a key factor in GDP growth, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see an ever-increasing torrent of news around these trends in the coming years.

How Will You Measure Your Life? | Clayton M. Christensen

A classic from the late Clay Christensen on life and the path we tread. If you haven’t come across this piece already, we promise you will not regret the read.

Think about the metric by which your life will be judged and make a resolution to live every day so that in the end, your life will be judged a success.

The Stock Market Usually Goes Up (But Sometimes it Goes Down) | Ben Carlson

We are including this article as a good excuse to remind everyone that there are always a multitude of risks in markets and economies, and this time may be different, but it’s probably not that different.

Since 1926, the U.S. stock market has experienced positive returns:

56% of the time on a daily basis

63% of the time on a monthly basis

75% of the time on a yearly basis

88% of the time on a 5-year basis

95% of the time on a 10-year basis

100% of the time on a 20-year basis

Can we guarantee these win rates in the future? Of course not! There are no guarantees when it comes to the stock market.

But betting on a crash sounds intelligent until you realize (a) how difficult it is to predict the timing of a bear market and (b) how often the stock market typically goes up over time.

Will AI Fix Work?

Some excellent data around the sheer amount of time we spend on unproductive communication in the modern workforce. There will be lots of unlocks from the current and future generations of AI assistants, but increased efficiency isn’t going to magically appear. Organizations will need to have a focus on the right tools, and on hiring/training teams to use the latest and greatest tech. Lots more to come here.

… the average employee spends 57% of their time communicating (in meetings, email, and chat) and 43% creating (in documents, spreadsheets, and presentations). The heaviest email users (top 25%) spend 8.8 hours a week on email…

Do You Still Believe These 19 Ridiculous Tech Myths? | Eric Griffith

This is an excellent article for those among us with limited tech literacy. Give it a skim.