Recession Proof Your Life with Strategies of the 1%.

Kylie Jenner. The World’s Youngest Self-Made Billionaire Ever (Selfie Made), according to the 2019 Forbes Billionaire List. Kylie has 142 million followers on Instagram. Wiki Commons photo of Kylie Jenner. Used with permission.

​I’m often asked today if the economy this time around could ever have the devastating downturns that we have seen in the last two recessions – when the losses were more than 55%. 

The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 55% in the Great Recession, to a low of 6547.

The NASDAQ Composite Index dropped 78% to a low of 1114 in the Dot Com Recession. It took 15 years to crawl back to even.

​Take a look at the chart below, and you’ll see that the financial indicators this time around are more troubling than they were in 2000 or 2008.
 

​I discuss this more in depth in my blogs “A Check Up on the Economy,” “The Weakening Economy” and more. (See the end of this blog for a list of recent blogs).
 
So, the short answer is that, sadly, “Yes. Today’s economy could have losses like we suffered in 2000-2002 and 2008.” In fact, with today’s policy impotence, the downturn could be longer lasting and more severe. And, with the expansion of wealth in the upper 1% and the squeeze and debt-load of the Middle Class, this is all happening on the backs of the Average American. 

So, what can you do about it? You’ll do well to start adopting the money strategies of the 1%, many of which are outlined below. Wisdom is the cure.
 
Recession Proof Your Life with Strategies of the 1%.
 
Home.

1. Can you afford your home? Is it time to down-size or monetize?
2. Align your mortgage pay-off date with your retirement date.
3. Lock in a fixed rate. 

Retirement

1. Is your financial plan longer than just a few pages? Did you lose more than 1/3 in the Great Recession? If you answer yes to either of these questions, then it’s a good idea to get an unbiased second opinion now to ensure that your plan can hold up in the next downturn.
2. Apply the easy-as-a-pie-chart nest egg strategies that are outlined in The ABCs of Money, 2nd edition.
3. Know what’s safe and how to get safe in a world where bonds are losing money and are over-leveraged, and money market funds have redemption gates and liquidity fees.
4. Be the boss of your money. Ask your “financial advisor” for a chart of the returns of your portfolio for the past 15 years, compared to the S&P500. Most people are tracking the index, but performing about 1.5-2.0% less due to fees. If the chart shadows the S&P500, then you are very vulnerable to the next downturn and should secure an unbiased second opinion now.

 
Budget

1. Are you struggling to make ends meet or using credit cards to fill in the gaps?
2. Adopt a Thrive Budget. 50% to survive and 50% to thrive. Yes, this requires thinking in a brave new way about your big ticket items. Cutting out café lattes isn’t going to fix things.
3. Stop making the tax man, the debt collector, the utility company, the gas station, the insurance salesman, etc. rich at your own expense.
4. Learn how to save thousands with smarter big-ticket choices, i.e. housing, transportation, medical insurance, insurance, utilities. Learn smart strategies that are healthier fiscally and physically for you.
5. If you are paying an arm and a leg for health insurance, and you are healthy, then you should consider a Health Savings Account (HSA).

 
Income

1. Increase your income by depositing 10% of your net income into a tax-protected retirement account. Deposit as much as possible into tax-protected retirement accounts first, including your HSA.
2. Learn how to properly invest the money in your retirement plan and your brokerage accounts. Buy & Hope hasn’t worked at all in the New Millennium. Modern portfolio theory, annual rebalancing, getting hot, knowing what’s safe in a world where stocks and bonds are overleveraged and in bubbles (i.e. our easy-as-a-pie-chart nest egg strategies) has worked fantastically – earning gains in the last two recessions and outperforming the bull markets in between.
3. Consider safe, income-producing hard assets that you purchase for a good price (including solar). Real estate is not a good price right now. However, could your existing home be more income-producing? Should you look now for partners for an apartment building project, so that when prices abate, you’re ready to swoop in?
4. Keep your job. If you’re looking for a job, try to secure one sooner rather than later. Employment is more difficult to obtain during recessions.

 
Debt

1. Is debt the first thing you think about when you get a windfall, or when your paycheck arrives? Shouldn’t you be thinking about protecting your assets, providing for your future and figuring out a budgeting solution that doesn’t require taking on debt to make ends meet?
2. Start depositing as much as you can into financial predator proof accounts, including your 401K, IRA and health savings accounts.
3. Should you put the unthinkable (Chapter 11 or 7) on the table?
4. Learn what options are available for restructuring your debt and/or renegotiating the terms, payments and/or principal.
5. Avoid debt consolidation scams that promise you the moon… for an upfront payment.

 
Family

1. Keep the money in the family.
2. Solve money problems as a family.
3. Student loan debt is a crisis. Start early to save, invest and compound gains in your child’s college savings plan. Prepare them for life at college by teaching them The ABCs of Money that we all should have received in high school. Help them to reduce their big-ticket spending at college, so their college savings plan can cover their expenses and they can take on minimal or no college loan debt.
   
   

 
These are all strategies that I cover in my books and retreats. If you want to read about them, call 310-40-2397 or email [email protected] and ask for the links to the most recent editions. If you wish to learn and implement the strategies as soon as possible, before the next recession, join me at my next retreat in Arizona Oct. 19-21, 2019. Call 310-430-2397 for additional information and to register now. Click on the retreat banner ad below to access the 15+ things you’ll learn and master and to read testimonials. Teens and college students may attend the Arizona Retreat for half off the regular individual price.
 
I am also offering a 2nd opinion on your current budgeting and investing strategy. So, if you wish to know what you own, and just how safe, protected, diversified and hot you really are, call our office for pricing and information on the 2nd opinion.
 
Wisdom is the cure. You must be the boss of your money. If you relinquish your power and give it to a “financial advisor” and that advisor loses your money, it is you who loses. No amount of gnashing of teeth will bring the losses back. It took 15 years for the NASDAQ to crawl back to its 2000 highs, and 6 years for the Dow Jones Industrial Average to claw back to its 2007 peak. In the meantime, your credit will be shot, and many people risk losing their homes. There are time-proven solutions. Now is the time to learn them. 

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Other Blogs of Interest
China Takes a Bite Out of Apple Sales.
Will the Dow Hit 30,000? A Check Up on the Economy
Red Flags in the Boeing 2Q 2019 Earnings Report
The Weakening Economy. 
Think Capture Gains, Not Stop Losses. 
Buy and Hold Works. Right?
​Wall Street Secrets Your Broker Isn't Telling You. 
Unaffordability: The Unspoken Housing Crisis in America. 
Are You Being Pressured to Buy a Home or Stocks?
What's Your Exit Strategy? 
Will the Feds Lower Interest Rates on June 19, 2019?
Should You Buy Tesla at a 2 1/2 Year Low? 
It's Time To Do Your Annual Rebalancing.
Cannabis Crashes. Should You Get High Again? 
Are You Suffering From Buy High, Sell Low Mentality?
Financial Engineering is Not Real Growth
The Zoom IPO. 
10 Rally Killers. Fix the Roof While the Sun is Shining.
Uber vs. Lyft. Which IPO Will Drive Returns?
Boeing Cuts 737 Production by 20%.
Tesla Delivery Data Disappoints. Stock Tanks.
Why Did Wells Fargo's CEO Get the Boot?
Earth Gratitude This Earth Day. 
Real Estate is Back to an All-Time High. 
Is the Spring Rally Over?
The Lyft IPO Hits Wall Street. Should you take a ride?
Cannabis Doubles. Did you miss the party?
12 Investing Mistakes
Drowning in Debt? Get Solutions. 
What's Hot in 2019?
The Debt Ceiling Was Hit (Again) on March 1, 2019.
How Bad Will the GDP Report Be?
2019 Investor IQ Test
The State of the Union
CBD Oil for Sale.
The High Cost of Free Advice. 
Apple's Real Problem in China: Huawei. 
2019 Crystal Ball.
2018 is the Worst December Ever. 
Will the Feds Raise Interest Rates? Should They? Learn what you're not being told in the MSM.
Why FANG, Banks and Your Value Funds Are in Trouble.
When the Santa Rally is a Loser, the Next Year is a Bigger Loser. 
Russia Dumps Treasuries and Buys Gold
OPEC and Russia Cut Oil Production. 
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Important Disclaimers
Please note: Natalie Pace does not act or operate like a broker. She reports on financial news, and is one of the most trusted sources of financial literacy, education and forensic analysis in the world. Natalie Pace educates and informs individual investors to give investors a competitive edge in their personal decision-making. Any publicly traded companies or funds mentioned by Natalie Pace are not intended to be buy or sell recommendations.

ALWAYS do your research and consult an experienced, reputable financial professional before buying or selling any security, and consider your long-term goals and strategies. Investors should NOT be all in on any asset class or individual stocks. Your retirement plan should reflect a diversified strategy, which has been designed with the assistance of a financial professional who is familiar with your goals, risk tolerance, tax needs and more. The "trading" portion of your portfolio should be a very small part of your investment strategy, and the amount of money you invest into individual companies should never be greater than your experience, wisdom, knowledge and patience.  

Information has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable however NataliePace.com does not warrant its completeness or accuracy. Opinions constitute our judgment as of the date of this publication and are subject to change without notice. This material is not intended as an offer or solicitation for the purchase or sale of any financial instrument. Securities, financial instruments or strategies mentioned herein may not be suitable for all investors.