Last year has been an incredible ride, with so many changes happening all over the world. One thing that hasn't changed though? The importance of financial planning and how it can affect anyone's life!

With the exception of the Delta wave, 2021 brought a lot back to normal. Consumer spending and business confidence were on their way up by mid-year but then stalled out before we reached Christmas Day 2021 with Covid's potential still looming over us all!

In 2022, with Omicron coming up, the pandemic will have two probable outcomes - either we reach "zero Covid-19" or it becomes an ongoing part of our world's infectious diseases coterie and society must adapt to living alongside this potentially fatal infection.

A contingency fund should be set aside for emergencies because there are no guarantees when dealing with such terrifying possibilities in today’s fast paced life. The rise in inflation has been caused by the major disruption of logistics and interest rate reduction. This, along with a fresh wave from pandemic would have made it worse for consumers looking forward to spending money on everyday items like food or clothing which impacts them directly.

Here are the top investment trends to consider in 2022

Retail Trade

The number of retail investors in the stock market has grown dramatically since last year, with many people buying stocks for themselves and not just their 401(k)s. With the growth of retail investors, trading has become a more democratic process. While high-frequency firms transacted most volume in early 2019 and prior years when many people were losing money due to pandemic fears that caused share prices drop across all industries , it is now these same commoners who provide stability by funding companies with their everyday paycheck as well buying up stocks on behalf for future generations.

The recent surge in trading has been led by a new generation of active traders who favor individual securities over broad diversification. They show little regard for fundamental valuations and coordinate with other like minded individuals online to amplify their influence on markets both positive (market rallies) as well negative(volatility).

Sustainable resources

Investment in sustainable and environmentally sound practices is becoming more popular with each passing year. This trend will only continue through 2022, as we see the effects of expanded green energy adoption on a global scale due to issues such as climate change that are increasingly being recognized throughout society at large.

It's only recently that this focus on environmentally-friendly business practices have seen an increase. In just three years - between 2019 and 2021--$15 billion dollars flowed into US sustainable funds! This comes after record inflows of over 20%. This means there is more money out there than ever before for green companies if you're interested.

Investors believe that climate change, pay inequity and gun violence are important issues. Younger generations have stronger preferences for sustainable growth which will affect how wealth is managed in the future by older people with budgets tight on retirement funds. Some estimates suggest half of all US accounts might integrate ESG criteria into their investment strategies within a 15 years time frame!

The next generation of investors will demand more from companies as they continue to align themselves with their values. The market regulators have set out a global framework for rating ESG investments, which should make it easier to combat greenwashing and bad actors in order to improve accountability on both sides - this is surely good news!

Artificial intelligence (AI)

With AI making rapid progress in 2022 there will be more change than ever before- with the potential for a revolution across every industry on earth! In just a few short years we'll see major progress in artificial intelligence. By the end of 2022 this new technology has the potential to transform every industry on earth with its capabilities - from complementing human work or replacing us entirely for superior competency at tasks.

From banking customers to doctors, chatbots are helping people across all industries sort out their financial affairs. In addition AI is being used more often in healthcare for better diagnoses and predictions about your future health concerns or worries you may have on the horizon! Companies across all sectors have also learned how useful machine algorithms are when catching cybercrime patterns before too much damage happens.

With an increasing number and variety in technology, many are investing heavily into this ever-growing field - with a total contribution to the economy as far to say it will be worth over $15.7 trillion by 2030! This means there's no time like the present; if you're not already doing so today then start looking into how your company can get on board with this exciting new trend before its prices fly up.

Crypto assets

Crypto has been on quite the meteoric rise in recent years. As of November 2021, its value was $2 trillion-less than one-third the size it's UPS equivalent! The sector is expected to grow even more following an influx of institutional investors who want exposure not just through buying but also investing into digital assets like cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings (ICOs). Crypto assets continue to grow in popularity and become more widely accepted as an asset class. This is due largely because of their volatility, which makes them appealing for those looking for a high-risk/high reward investment opportunity like never before!

VC's invested $17 billion in crypto projects and ambitious technologists are developing financial infrastructure on this new type of platform. These innovators want to change how we transact by creating more accessible places for everyone with their decentralized ideas- it has massive potential which we'll definitely be seeing soon enough!!

NFTs

Cryptocurrencies have been all the rage from###-###-#### From social media platforms to financial news, it seems like nobody can escape hearing about them—and for good reason! NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are an exciting new way of using blockchain technology; they allow people who own different types or quantities of these cryptocurrencies to Trade freely without having any interference from third parties such as banks which may try and control transactions by limiting how much money you put into your account at once or charge extra fees when sending internationally.

NFTs are here to stay and their popularity is expected to continue unabated in###-###-#### The global market for Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) has grown from less than $20 billion last year, with 25% growth projected this year alone! It's no wonder that even music celebrities, sports stars & corporations alike want to invest both as buyers or sellers-the allure of investing into something unique can't be beat by any other type of investments out there today.