On Perspective:

PEOPLE OF TEN LOOK AT OTHERS AND heave a sigh of relief that it's the other guys bad luck, not his or her own. When your time comes around, are you ready for it? I am sorry to say, and you probably know it, the time will come for your train to temporarily derail. The biggest effect of this phenomenon is a lack of money, or lack of consistent cash flow. Priorities change: keeping the roof above your head and food on the table is moved up on the list immediately. It is unfortunate though, many times as Planners we have seen folks who have fallen on hard times, for whatever period of time, and continue to live just as if the cash flow has not changed. There is a two part remedy to this issue: keep on saving to build yourself up as big a cushion as you can, and if the time should come, it's time for an immediate assessment of your lifestyle and spending habits. We're not suggesting that you completely change your way of life, but now is the time to be reasonable. It's not time to plan a vacation, or use your downtime to refurnish the house. Now is the time to make informed, rational decisions. If you find yourself in this place, and we all have, lean on your Chestnut Planner for help. We've been through it with our clients many, many times and can help you through the maze of this new paradigm and help to make it less painful and confusing- that's what we are here for.