Our economy is in a downturn, investments are tanking, and every day the market reaches new lows. It can be hard to stay focused through it all and not panic. Unfortunately it seems like most investors in the market HAVE panicked already, and their fear is self-fulfilling. They’re afraid the market will tank, so when they all panic and sell, it DOES tank.
If you want to retain your sanity during these hard times, there are a few things that you shouldn’t do.
credit: dipfan
7 Things You Shouldn’t Do In An Economic Crisis
- You shouldn’t listen to the media: Remember the old saying, “If it bleeds, it leads”. The media will report the bad news first, and often gloss over the good or encouraging news. Try not to take the news reports too seriously as good reporting is becoming harder to come by.
- You shouldn’t forget to be positive: If you can’t stay positive, and look at the silver linings of a situation, your feelings of loss and panic will start to surface. Remember that money doesn’t bring happiness, and that the market will rebound. It may not happen as quickly as we’d like it to, but it will come around.
- You shouldn’t continuously check your 401k: If you’re like me, you can’t resist the urge to be constantly checking your 401k every day. The DOW dropped 400 points? Oh my gosh, I wonder how much money I lost today! Resist the urge to keep checking your balance. Make sure you have good diversification and good allocations, and then set it and forget it.
- You shouldn’t count on the government to help you: Don’t waste your time waiting around for the government to turn things around, bring you a bailout plan, and turn things around. Things will only get better for you if you make things better yourself. Create your own bailout plan, make some extra income and make a plan to succeed!
- You shouldn’t stop investing for retirement: The old investing adage says, “Buy low, sell high”. The markets are tanking right now, so you’ll probably be able to find some investments in good strong companies at a fraction of their normal price. Buy it while it’s low!
- You shouldn’t try and time the market: It’s a fools game to try and time the market. It’s impossible to know when the market is at it’s lowest, and when it’s at the highest. I thought it was at the low point the other day, and its dropped over a 1000 points since then. Don’t try to beat the market. Invest for the long term. Put together a nicely diversified portfolio, and then let it ride.
- You shouldn’t forget that it’s only money: No matter how bad things get, remember that the sun will rise tomorrow. Even if you lose it all, your heavenly father will still take care of you. “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34”
Remember, this country has gone through hard times before, and we have always come out of it sooner or later. I have no doubt that this time will be the same.
So what are some things that you are going to try not to do during this economic crisis?
Source: biblemoneymatters.com