That doesn't stop lots of financial professionals from guessing, though.

It's natural as each year ends to look over our financial holdings, checking to see how well (or poorly) we did and thinking about what 2025 might bring. Many people turn to experts at such times, assuming they know better than we do about economic conditions and prospects.

The problem, though, is that experts rarely agree. (And even if they did, they could be wrong!)

Here's a look at a range of expert predictions, along with some thoughts on what you might do to position yourself well for 2025 and beyond.

Here's are some perspectives and predictions from a range of financial experts:

You can see that just among this limited group of examples, there are differences of opinion. There are, interestingly, some similarities. Most of these experts seem to be predicting that the S&P 500 will advance around 9% or 10% in the coming year. That might be right, but there's a perfectly good chance that it will be wrong. (One explanation for the similarity might be the firms not wanting to go out on a limb and be different, lest they end up looking bad.)

Consider, for example, all the wrong predictions from a year ago. One firm expected the S&P 500's worst crash since 2008 and the beginning of a recession. (The S&P 500 was up around 25% year-to-date as of this writing, with no recession.) JPMorgan said: "Equities are now richly valued with volatility near the historical low, while geopolitical and political risks remain elevated. We expect lackluster global earnings growth with downside for equities from current levels," Morgan Stanley expected a generally flat stock market for 2024.

So what should you do? Well, if you're not comfortable having as much money invested in stocks as you do now, then consider moving some of your money out of them. But understand that the stock market is simply inherently volatile. There will always be occasional corrections and crashes -- but the market has gone on to recover from all of them and to set new highs. Still, this is why you only want to invest in stocks with long-term dollars -- ones you won't need for five, if not 10, years.

For long-term investors, it's hard to be the wealth-building potential of the stock market. You don't have to chase market darlings and overpriced growth stocks to build your wealth, though. A simple index fund such as one that tracks the S&P 500 can be all you need if you want to be invested in stocks.

The stock market has delivered double-digit gains for multiple years in a row and it can be doing so now. But in anticipation of an eventual pullback, you might keep some of your portfolio in cash, so that you can pounce on some opportunities that materialize.

Otherwise, don't fret too much about what the market will do in 2025. Instead, focus on the decades ahead. If you're saving and investing for your retirement that will start in 2045, how the market performs in a single year like 2025 shouldn't matter all that much.