Business & Professional
COUNSELIN
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Easing Worries
About Recession
T
here is no shortage of
articles in the media today
regarding the concerns of
everyday Americans about our current
economic recession. Often, however,
the stories focus on men as
heads of households and
their perspectives. Rarely
do we hear the voice of
a woman with her own
experiences and how she
is weathering this financial
storm. The circumstances
vary how a woman finds
herself alone, but the emo-
tions are often very similar.
Recently, many women
have come into my office
absolutely terrified after
their experience with the
unprecedented volatility
in the financial marketplaces. They
are frightened that they will not have
enough resources and that they might
actually lose everything! If you are
feeling this way, know
that you are in good
company. The economy
and credit markets
have been severely
crippled through com-
plex and confusing
circumstances.
Do not despair!
There are several steps
you can take to help
ease your fears and
help you sleep. While
these strategies are not
unique to women, they align with
how a woman thinks and feels.
When it comes to money, a
woman's biggest concerns are, "Am I
okay today?" and "Will I be still okay
tomorrow?" I've discovered that a
client can get a pretty good handle
on her present financial situation
simply by answering the following
three questions: Do you know what
resources you have? Do you know
where they are? Do you know why
you have them?
This involves taking an inventory
of your assets, locating them, then
deciding which ones to keep and sell.
You need to know why you have each
asset and if it makes sense to keep
this holding under the current cir-
cumstances.
Women also need to reduce their
ongoing financial requirements to
a single number, which means they
need to answer the question of how
much will be needed. This
often involves adding up all
sources of income and all
expenses, then coming up
with a number upon which
you can base a plan. At this
point, having a qualified
financial professional can
be most helpful in accom-
plishing this sometimes
daunting task.
I am reminded of one
of my oldest clients whom
I first met just after her
54-year old artist-husband
suddenly dropped dead
from a heart attack three months
before. Jo Ellen literally came in to
my office with a brown paper shop-
ping bag full of unopened statements,
bills and letters. With
panic in her eyes, she
told me that her hus-
band had taken care
of "everything" and
she had no idea where
their investments
were or even how
much it actually cost
on a monthly basis to
cover her expenses.
We started with the
questions above and
all these years later, Jo
Ellen is one of my biggest proponents
for really taking charge of your finan-
cial reality.
Once you have the answer to these
important questions, you will have a
firm grasp on the future and feel more
secure about surviving and thriving
today and in the future.
There are steps
you can take
to ease your
fears and help
you sleep.
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