Go toward the light

Let's face it. The economy is not looking so good. The economy isn't expected to look good for quite a while into the future. 89% of Americans say that the American economy AND their personal economies are looking bleak. They believe we are in trouble for very legitimate reasons. People are reading the writing on the wall: with a recession from a failing economy, jobs are going to be cut...again. And scarce. While we may have added remote work to the mix, a failing economy hits everyone whether they are at home or in the office. In just a few weeks, we're moving from "I have my demands that need to be met if I'm going to work for you" to "yikes!" The corridor that many were standing in, waiting for the ideal work circumstances is having it's lights turned off. That dark corridor is no longer a friendly place to be. So, where are we to find the places where the lights are still on and the doors are still open? How can we go toward the light instead of grieve in the dark? We usually rely on our investments, but we've seen some serious declines in the stock market. Our 401(k)s are taking a beating. It will take years to recover, if they ever do. What can we do to protect our investments?

Some financial professionals are already saying that it may be time to put some investments into cash now, wait a bit, and return to the investment market sometime down the road (exactly when, they can't say). After all, cash in the bank at least stays put. It sits there. While investments are, well frankly, going downhill. (Peloton has lost over $100/ share in value!) We've worked hard to save for the future, and in general, have trusted the advice that leaving money where it's at is the best move. And overall, that's sound advice. But there does come a time when taking some money out and choosing to put your money to work in a different way is smarter than watching it dwindle and fade away over time.

Some investors are more proactive than others. Those are the ones who invest in solid businesses during hard times. Businesses like service franchises. The boring, steady, predictable businesses that are always there in the background, steadily growing and expanding. Some might think that my business would be dead on the vine right now, as people are afraid to do anything with their money, certainly not start a business. In fact, the proactive investors with solid business sense understand the opportunity to take control of their money and put it to work. Also, those who can read the writing on the wall at corporate understand that with a recession, which we are now in, comes layoffs. Another round of layoffs is probably coming, so it might be a smart idea to not only put some investments into cash and invest in a business, but pull yourself out of the frying pan of layoffs and start controlling your own destiny.

The glory of investing in a franchise is that owning a business does not mean taking a high risk. You aren't inventing a space ship (you aren't Elon Musk), you are investing in services that the majority of people in your community need/want (or it wouldn't be a franchise). The other great thing about identifying a franchise that fits you is that it costs you nothing to learn, explore, discover, ask questions, or talk to franchisees. There's NO RISK to learning, and NO COST to working with someone who will help you explore the right kinds of businesses that fit your goals, needs, expectations, skill set, and dreams. In a world where everything seems risky and people are experimenting and failing in ways that effect your livelihood and your personal economy, looking into what you could own and what you could invest in that shows a history growth - growth even during the Pandemic - only makes common sense.

Proactive investors don't let their lives be controlled by people who are making poor choices that lead to failure, nor do they wait around for corporate to drop the hammer on them. Proactive investors are learning what else is out there that makes fiscal and personal sense for them. They are looking behind and in front, watching which doors are closing behind them, which lights are being turned off on them and which doors are opening and which lights are turning on for them. I'll help you explore your next steps forward by answering your questions, helping you gain clarity regarding what you want your future to look like and how you can get there with a franchised business. Book your call with me here

Note: remember that in 2016 the DOW was around 16,000. If you've been in the market a long time, you are still in good shape, comparatively speaking. Nevertheless, it might be time to protect some of that money by investing in yourself instead of trusting in traders or leaders who are making decisions for you that you probably would never choose to make for yourself.