by Teresa Kuhn, JD, RFC, CSA
Life has a habit of derailing even the most well-thought-out plans. That being said, there are still some simple steps you can take to ensure that your wealth stays intact as much as possible in the coming years.
Friend of Living Wealthy Radio, economist Harry Dent, believes that prudence is the best course of action over the coming years as Wall Street hijinks and demographics prove themselves incompatible.
Writes Harry in a recent edition of his newsletter:
"Most analysts think the U.S. economy is OK outside of these dollar and global slowdown factors.
But here’s a few thing they don’t see coming… happening this next year…
They don’t see the slowdown of the affluent sector, wherein the top 20% control over 50% of income and spending. This group peaks at age 54 – that’s this year – and they hold almost all of the bubbled up financial assets like stocks. That’s where QE has had its impact – not on Homer Simpson.
Analysts also don’t see that car sales, which have been strong up to this point, will lead the downturn in 2016 as they also peak with that affluent sector at age 54."
With this in mind, I thought of a few things that you can do to prepare yourself for the wild ride.
1.Eliminate debt as much as possible. Debt, especially consumer debt, can absolutely strangle your economic progress and get you caught in an endless "two steps forward, three steps back" loop. Do anything and everything you can to pay off your debts, even if all you do is kick in a few extra dollars on your car payment or place a moratorium on your credit card use. If you have cash built up in your Bank on Yourself policies, consider using some of that to pay down debt or to make major purchases. Doing so will not only help you get out of debt, but you will build up your pot of cash even more quickly.
2. Start learning more about asset planning and protection. Protecting what you own with proven asset protection strategies Asset protection trusts are powerful tools that you can use to help stem the erosion of your wealth. A great place to start is with an E- copy of Arnold Goldstein and Ryan Fowler's Asset Protection in Financially Unsafe Times Download it here:http://www.mediafire.com/view/qoiaura2ljfadwz/AssetProtection_%281%29.pdf
3. Call our office and schedule time with a Living Wealthy advisor. Even if you have someone else doing your financial planning, it never hurts to have a second pair of eyes evaluating your financial blueprint. We'll look for potential weaknesses in your current plan and make suggestions as to how you can shore them up. If you are already a client, now might be the perfect time to check in with us to ensure you are on track to your goals. Call now and get on the schedule! (800) 382-0830
Remember, it's not all "gloom and doom, " especially when you have a Bank on Yourself policy as your ultimate cash-flow engine. With a mindset that includes debt and cashflow management and a conservative approach toward genuine investment, you will emerge in a better place, even if the economy takes a nosedive.
