Recessions are inevitable.
Every other business headline, every other talking head with a degree in economics has something to say about the possibility of a recession in 2019.
It will definitely happen, it won’t happen, it might happen but we can’t say for sure. It might be because of China, or Trump’s trade wars, or the simple fact that every boom time eventually stops booming and goes bust.
The blame usually gets thrown around shortly after, and often at the average working (or newly unemployed) stiffs in society.
People are spendthrift, they took out too many loans, they racked up credit card debt, they bought a house bigger than they could afford.
That may be true. But the reverse is also true – before each recession, there are financial institutions eager to sell mortgages for little to nothing down, to hand out new credit cards to anyone with an active pulse, to add to the ever-expanding realm of debt.
It takes two to tango. The debtor can’t exist without the lender.
Forget blame for a moment. It is better to save than to borrow. If you can manage to live within your means and put away some money for tomorrow, you absolutely should do so.
Sadly, that’s about the best advice we’ve got. We’re 11 years away from “the Great Recession,” the one that knocked thousands of people around the world out of work, blighted banks, humbled car makers, and wiped out vast sums of wealth.
And we’re on the verge of another crash, though hopefully not as bad as last time.
And for all the recession talk – it definitely hasn’t started yet. Unemployment remains low, wages are actually going up. So while times are still good, save what you can, pay off those credit cards, and make some plans for the days ahead, which might not be so rosy.