In Times of Uncertainty, We Must Double Down on Our Values
It’s no secret that the past few months have brought on some unwanted challenges and headlines. Everyday goods are still rising in price, the market is performing negatively, and our wages are still the same. Add to that some terrifying and horrific things happening in the world around us, and it can be easy to feel uncertain. While feeling uncertain about what’s ahead is natural, it’s important to continue to make sound decisions and keep a level head. It’s times like right now when we must double down on our values and remember how we got to where we’re at in the first place.
Roughly 73% of American’s say that their finances are the main cause of stress. This wasn’t all that surprising to me… Until I read that this study was from over a year ago, I would bet that the number is a bit higher than that now. At some point, we all stress over our finances. The bills are still coming in, getting gas/groceries/etc. is becoming more and more pricey, and we’re still making the same amount of money every week. At some point, a person/family can only do so much to make ends meet, and then they break. We’ve seen this time and time again, the lower class goes into an even greater amount of debt, the middle class panics and makes irrational financial decisions, and the upper class ends up being alright but again might have made some decisions that they regret. But what if instead of this, we put a plan in place? Not just a plan that tells us the X’s and O’s of our finances, but a plan that is focused around our values. A plan that is designed to be challenged, and when it is, we’re prepared to double down on our values and keep a level head. It could truly mean the difference in achieving financial freedom, or missing it by a long shot.
As a human being, we naturally make decisions that we hope will make us better off either in the near future, or down the road. But when it seems as if everything around us is deteriorating, we often lose sight of the big picture and end up acting out of pocket. We all do it, and will continue to do it. But we have to remember that the decisions we’re making in this very second, will have long lasting and compounding effects on the future ahead.
My advice is simple: Have a plan in place for when times get tough and we’re forced to make some decisions. Plan around your values so that we don’t abandon ship when times are hard. Take a step back and remember what matters to us the most, and then make that big decision. While I’m speaking from a financial perspective, it goes far beyond that. This isn’t the first and certainly won’t be the last time we’re going to be challenged and have important decisions to make. When you’re uncertain, double down on what you value the most.
Tanner Millar
Investment Advisor - Core Planning
tanner@yourcoreplan.com
(660)-998-4639