Obama Kool In a Market Meltdown

Watching the US presidential race was not only historic but extremely fascinating.  Regardless of views, the other story line was on life and management skills. The lesson to be learned came through observing how the two sides reacted to events out of their control.  Obama’s camp had a steep political hill to climb.  With ties to the Acorn voter scandal, negative associations, the mortgage melt down and the billion dollar bailouts, Obama and his team managed to keep it simple, stay cool, and stick to the message.
As we face our own economic uncertainty and financial stress we can learn a thing or two from this historic election. "Yes we can" choose hope and change our future if we take time to keep it simple, stay cool and stick to the message.
Today is a great day to Identify what’s most important in your life by taking some personal inventory.  When markets are volatile it will no doubt affect more than your pocket book.  Your entire well-being is priority one.  It is an opportune time to prioritize and invest in self discovery and awareness.  What are your Career, Family, Physical, Personal, Mental, Social, and Spiritual goals?  Write down your personal vision for each area of your life.  The experience will create clarity and a personal blueprint for your life goals.  Keeping it simple is a great investment.
Much of the market fluctuations are out of your control so concentrate on what is in your control.  Take some time to do some financial forensics.  Your Bank statements will give evidence of how you are living.  Our current economy is aggressively encouraging us all to look at our Needs, before wants.  Income and spending are very critical at this time.  Are there opportunities to increase your earnings by turning a hobby into a part-time income?  Pursuing what you love has more than monetary rewards and will add to your well-being because it gives you a sense of purpose. Further your money will only go where you lead it, so having a spending plan makes good money sense.  A spending plan gives you an opportunity to remove unnecessary expenditures and increase your cash flow each month.
Organize your finances to support your personal situation.  Advice is often general in nature and does not take into account each individual’s personal circumstance.  The typical advice is to invest in the markets when they appear to be on clearance.  This is true if your financial house is all in order.  Before you invest ensure that you have 6-8 months expenses in a high interest savings account to support you in times of need.  Having a positive cash flow, no consumer loans or credit card debt will give you the needed leverage to take full advantage of a bear market.  If you are not in the clear, now is the time to work on a life and financial plan to prepare you for future opportunities.
When you invest Realize that investing is a plan and not a product.  If you take the time and opportunity to examine your life and goals then you will have more success when you invest.  Investing in products with out a plan can be a recipe for disappointment.  Buying ABC investment because it has a chance to reap big returns may not connect with your goal to buy a house in 6 months.  If you invest with a purpose in mind such as retirement in 7 years or more, today’s market volatility will not be such a concern.  Discuss setting up an investment plan with your financial advisor that meets your life goals, objectives and comfort level.
Making wise Decisions matter more than ever.  Ancient wisdom says “you reap what you sow.” The Sub- prime mortgage melt down is clear evidence of bad decisions gone worse. The after math is a lesson for everyone that “it’s more than money integrity is simply your best investment.”  Tough decisions today can create a wealth of opportunity tomorrow.  Be truthful about your finances and you will reap the rewards.
Educate your self about personal finances.  Read a book on money management, sign up for a Canadian financial subscription, and/or attends a workshop.  It’s your money, your choice and the times are telling it may be your best investment.
 Today more than ever your well-being matters most so Reduce your stress.  There is hope ahead and now is the time to realize that “it’s more than money financial wellness is life all in order."  Take some time to breathe and look at self care.  Connect with some form of healing activity to keep your wellbeing in order.
The election was exciting yes but the message is the real take away keep it simple, stay cool and stick to the message.  The truth is today's financial crisis may be the wake up call we all need to get our lives all INORDER.