“Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass, it’s about learning how to dance in the rain.” – Vivian Greene
This time in our history and on our planet is…challenging.
If you’re like me, you’re feeling triggered and traumatized on a regular basis. There’s so much that we just can’t control – so much that we just don’t know about. And these unknowns strike at our deepest fears and traumas – even the fears and traumas we thought we’d laid to rest! Surprise! They’re back.
Every human being right now is worried about our well-being, safety, and security. I see it and hear it every day in the work I do with my clients.
Some of the questions I’ve recently seen from clients include:
- How long does it take to pull all our resources out of the market?
- What happens to our money if democracy collapses in the United States?
- How liquid is my 401k?
- Where should we park our money if we pull it out of the market?
- How do we plan for disaster?
My challenge is this: how do I help people plan for the future when we don’t know what the future holds? How do you plan for the future when everything in the PRESENT is uncertain?
Good questions – and there aren’t easy answers.
There are, however, some simple things to do that might help you feel a little less chaotic, a little less scared, and a little less triggered.
So, let’s take it question by question.
- How long does it take to pull all our resources out of the market?
You can sell your assets to have more liquid assets within two business days.
- What happens to our money if democracy collapses in the United States?
If democracy fails here…well, no one knows what that will mean to the markets and banking. Both could or could not collapse. If they collapse, you would need physical currency of some kind… or possibly even bitcoin
- How liquid is my 401k?
401ks are less liquid and would have to follow the protocol around the rules set out by an employer
- Where should we park our money if we pull it out of the market? We don’t want to get burned again - like we did in 2008.
Investments go up and investments go down. They go back up if they are left invested. At the beginning of Covid the market was down as much as 30%. It has fully recovered and surpassed its high of nearly two years ago. The market fully recovered from 2008 and is nearly 5 times the value of its low today.
- How do we plan for disaster?
If I were to help you plan for a potential disaster, it would change the course of planning for a future retirement. So do you want to plan for disaster…or plan for retirement? Or do you want to plan for both?
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Perspective is important. It is important to consider all the scenarios. My job is to help you with your well-being. That means I have to consider all the scenarios – including the present.
If you are concerned about a complete collapse and a potential disaster, I’d recommend you have some kind of currency that is immediately available to you. However, if you were to leave investments in cash, then you give up all the growth. So you have to consider carefully what you would want left in cash.
Growth is important when it comes to staving off inflation, and we can only plan so much for the unexpected, because it is exactly that unexpected. (Say THAT five times fast!)
I know that it is a hard time. And things could go badly the next few years. Things could also go really well!
Many of us are CFOs of our household and often manage significant budgets in our careers. However when it comes to investing in ourselves, in our passions, so that we can live a more meaningful and fulfilling life, we falter, we put ourselves last, we “make do.” Why?
Trauma.
Trauma (financial and otherwise) from our past extends into our present and into our future. That trauma creates barriers that prevent us from living our passions and values – from living our lives to the fullest. One of the places that trauma shows up is in your money and in your allocation of financial resources.
When you can address your trauma, confront the barriers of shame and lack of worthiness, and quiet the fear, you can move forward into a safe space of making decisions – financial and otherwise – based on your values.
That’s where non-traditional financial decision making comes into play. Finding unique, innovative, and sometimes unexpected ways to manage and build financial resources helps you to fund your passions – to live a life based on your values. Whether it’s exploring a new hobby, joining communities, supporting a cause or starting a side hustle, cash is “queen.” And, that means putting ourselves first.
We have to trust that we have the emotional, physical and spiritual resources to withstand what comes our way. I am here to help. I hear your concerns.