It's a new year and a new beginning. To all the entrepreneurs, developers, businesspeople, investors, managers, lawyers and everyone else who reads my blog: I wish you a happy and wealthy 2024.

In Canada, it would be very strange to wish someone a "wealthy New Year" in-person. It's strange on this blog! But there's nothing better than seeing people become wealthy. I've worked for many people who've gone from getting by to literally buying Ferraris and dream homes. But whether it's that sort of wealth, or the kind of wealth that ensures people's families won't need to worry about food or heat - wealth is the best way to protect people from the misfortunes of life.

Wealth also serves another function: it permits people to say no.

People who have enough to get by can look longer-term, and they can work on their own projects rather than working for someone else. Being able to say no is useful for the long term, but also useful in the short term because it means people can focus on what they want to do.

Wealth is demonized by many people in Canada but most of those people wouldn't say no to becoming wealthy if a genie offered them that wish! And if they realized that wealth doesn't come from exploitation but rather from technological improvements, process improvements, science, education, and the other factors of a modern economy, they might change their view about whether there's something wrong with wealth.

By historical standards, Canada in 2024 is one of the wealthiest places that's ever existed. And yet it's likely that in a few deacades, Canada will be much wealthier than it is now, if only due to importing foreign know-how and capital, which will improve the productivity of Canada's people and businesses. And in turn, Canadians will gain more ability to say no to what they don't want, and say yes to what they do want.

So to everyone out there, I wish you a wealthy New Year. To the entrepreneur that might mean product-market fit, to an existing business that might mean better recognition in the market of their offering, and to an employee that might mean raises. Whatever this means to you, I wish you all of the best.