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Fearless annual predictions for…2017

Predicting the future is neither as hard nor as easy as it would appear.

By Christopher Carosa | Updated on January 01, 2016

Predicting the future is neither as hard nor as easy as it would appear. Anyone can have a high degree of confidence foreseeing the direction of things for the next four quarters. And while exact precision (i.e., “black swan” events) might be difficult to discern when peering into the crystal ball for hints at what the world will look like in 10 years (and beyond), it’s almost impossible to miss certain general trends.

The hard part is the vast middle. Forecasting between one year and 10 years ahead reflects nothing more than dart throwing. Here, the only thing distinguishing the low-brow fortune teller from the high-brow academic is their Flesch-Kincaid score. (For those not familiar with readability analysis, this refers to the relative complexity of the language they use.) With that in mind, the best long-term predictions are those that rely on humor rather than certitude. With that in mind, here are my top three predictions for 2017.

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Christopher Carosa

Christopher Carosa

Chris Carosa has been writing a weekly article and monthly column for BenefitsPRO online and BenefitsPRO Magazine since 2011 and is a nationally recognized award-winning writer, researcher and speaker. He’s written seven books, including From Cradle to Retire: The Child IRA; Hey! What’s My Number? – How to Increase the Odds You Will Retire in Comfort; A Pizza The Action: Everything I Ever Learned About Business I Learned By Working in a Pizza Stand at the Erie County Fair; and the widely acclaimed 401(k) Fiduciary Solutions. Carosa is also Chief Contributing Editor of the authoritative trade journal FiduciaryNews.com and publisher of the Mendon-Honeoye Falls-Lima Sentinel, a weekly community newspaper he founded in 1989. Currently serving as President of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and with more than 1,000 articles published in various publications, he appears regularly in the national media. A “parallel” entrepreneur, he actively runs a handful of businesses, including a small boutique investment adviser, providing hands-on experience for his writing. A trained astrophysicist, he also holds an MBA and has been designated a Certified Trust and Financial Advisor. Share your thoughts and story ideas with him through Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/christophercarosa/)and Twitter (https://twitter.com/ChrisCarosa).

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