Two of the key focuses of my blog are Financial Literacy/Money and Business/Entrepreneurship. I didn’t learn until later in life that there are five economic/business ‘cycles’ and whenever there is a ‘Prosperity’ there will eventually be a ‘Recession’, so this isn’t all magic and chance. Once you know that there will be recessions in the future, you can think about how to prepare for them. The following contributed post is thus entitled Are We Heading For A Recession And How Can You Prepare?
* * *
Are you worried about the potential threat of a recession? It’s understandable if you are because the last time one rocked the global economy, a lot of people suffered. Savings were lost, businesses crashed, pensioners were left penniless and people lost their homes. The last time we had a serious recession was in 2008. Now, you may not be aware of this, but the economy is pretty much like a rollercoaster or a constantly repeating bell graph. It climbs up, remains at roughly the optimum point for a while and then comes crashing back down. It’s a system that never fails and while we can’t predict when the next recession will hit, we know one is coming. However, there are a few questions that need to be answered.
Will it Be As Bad As 2008?
By economists 2008 is counted as a severe depression for some parts of the world including the UK and America. It was devastating and while it’s not quite the worst case scenario, it wasn’t too far off. So, you would be forgiven for panicking about whether or not another could potentially hit sooner rather than later with this magnitude. The good news is that currently, economists are not predicting a severe recession similar to the Wall Street Crash which actually bordered on a depression. If that happens then it will be a complete shock with very few people actually predicting it. We say very few because there’s always someone that sees this type of collapse coming. You can read more about this on https://observer.com/2018/03/niall-ferguson-warns-next-recession-near/.
What Are The Signs A Recession Is Coming?
One of the earliest signs of a recession is a low level of spending and high unemployment rates. Currently, in countries like America, employment rates are actually high and people are continuing to spend. Indeed, with the festive shopping period in full swing, businesses haven’t seen a slow down although there are noticeable changes as can be seen on https://www.inquisitr.com/5203694/have-you-noticed-that-real-christmas-tree-prices-are-higher-you-can-thank-the-2008-recession-for-that/.
In fact, Goldman & Sachs recently reported that as long as consumers continue on this trend, the fears of a potential recession can be ignored. Ultimately, the general public can keep the economy swinging high. This will actually offset other issues such as failing stocks and high interest rates. Those issues are currently on the market right now and without a high level of spending, we could still reach a recession even before 2018 ends.
There is one important distinction here though with spending. Spending is only a good sign if people can afford it. One of the main causes of the last depression was people spending money they didn’t have and buying homes or investing in property that they couldn’t actually afford. Ultimately, this leads to an economy being built on something that’s no more stable than a house of cards. Eventually, it will come tumbling down.
How Can Private Individuals Plan For A Recession?
First, if you are living in rented accommodation, inquire with your landlord and check whether they own the property outright. They are under no obligation to tell you this, however many will, to provide you with the peace of mind you need. If they own the property outright, there is less chance, they’ll lose it and you’ll be forced to move out during a recession. If you are currently paying a mortgage on your home, make sure that your budget is flexible for changes and that you will be able to afford a significant increase in costs.
This is all about saving. You need to make sure that you saving as much as you possibly can through the months or years leading up to a recession. It’s crucial that you have a solid amount that you can fall back on if the economy does take a turn for the worse. If you are worried that a recession is on its way, it’s time to cut out the luxury purchases. Instead, you need to make sure that this money is being kept and not just kept but invested.
Any money that you do save should not remain stagnant and must be invested in the right areas. For a recession, you need to focus on the securest and firmest investment possibilities. There are a few choices to consider here.
You can learn about some of the possibilities on sites like https://www.collinseow.com/cpf-investment. One option would be gold. Gold is often considered to be the only true currency because unlike other possibilities it doesn’t rise or fall in value. This means that if you invest in gold, your shares will ultimately remain more or less constant and that’s exactly what you want
Property is another choice that is largely considered to be secure. When you invest in property, it’s important to choose a property that you can afford and that is not going to negatively impact your finances. If you do need to take out a mortgage, you need to make sure it fits your budget and that the rent or resale more than covers the cost.
How Can Business Owners Prepare?
For business owners, it’s all about cutting costs. When a recession hits, you might experience a severe drop in level of customer interest or the number of customers making purchases. If this happens, then your business model needs to be able to handle the change. The best way to guarantee this is to make sure that your business budget is as tight as possible. Ultimately you need to streamline your company and reduce wastage as much as you can.
You might also want to think about increasing levels of flexibility in your business model. You can do this if you cut out some of the more expensive and permanent parts of your company. For instance, you should think about getting rid of the business model and instead working from home.
The businesses that tend to be hit most by a recession are those selling luxury products and services. If this describes your company, then do consider thinking about refocusing your efforts on delivering budget-friendly options that all clients and customers can afford. You can learn more about selling luxury products on https://www.theguardian.com/media-network/2014/nov/.
We hope this helps you handle the potential threat of a recession as a private individual and potentially a business owner.
