Here's the thing. I hate roller-coasters. I really, really don't like them. I struggle with the smallest ride in Cedar Point (not that I've gone in at least 5 years), to the point that it's a huge accomplishment if I even get on the ride. Maybe it's a little bit of a control freak in me, because I'm starting to realize more and more that I get generally uncomfortable if I'm not in control of a moving vehicle. Of course, a vehicle that is moving fast and at extreme angles, and possibly upside down, has "bad day" written all over it for me.
As if those weren't bad enough, there is a whole new roller-coaster lately that has me on pins and needles. Let's talk about how much I want to avoid looking at the stock market at all costs these days. Now that's terrifying. You know those dragon boat rides that swing way, way up and then backward, and fast? That's what I think of when I think "stock market" right now. That's not a good thought at all.
As stated in Yahoo! Finance this morning, "the Dow Jones industrial average soared 423 points on Thursday. It had already fallen 634 points Monday, risen 429 Tuesday and fallen 519 Wednesday. Never before has the Dow had four 400-point swings in a row." Oh come on, already! I'm not saying I have a great solution, and I'm no professional in terms of the market, but I can tell you something had better happen, and fast.
Needless to say, I'm glad I graduated already because my tuition payments came from investments my parents made years ago in that market (of course, that was paired with several loans in my name as well). Had I not gotten out of school when I did, who knows how I would have pulled off paying for school.
So, maybe I can't offer finance advice, but as with anything in life, this is going to require compromise from everyone. It's a skill that most children learn in preschool. Johnny got the last cupcake? Well, how about we split it and both Johnny and Suzie get to enjoy the sweet treat? Why is that skill eluding middle aged men and women? Now there's a mystery. In my opinion, a lot of complex problems can have simple solutions. Making things more complicated isn't going to help.
So Liz, what is going on currently with the stock market and debt ceiling and all of this economic stuff is almost exactly what happened during the recession after the great depression right before the economy pulled out of all the bad stuff, except we have it much better than they did...so no worries!!
ReplyDeleteThe problem is now we don't have a world war to dig us out and stimulate the economy. We also have a lower credit rating and lower overall faith in the government's ability to pay back bonds, which were a huge source of money during WWII. The economy fixes itself in theory, but meddling in it and changing policies every few years makes it harder for that to happen.
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