Why Money is the Least of My Worries

I made this whole blog after hitting a $100k net worth. After hitting a $127k high I watched that net worth tumble down to the $87k it’s at today, which is a loss of over 32%.

Am I at all worried about that?

No.

Honestly, not at all. Maybe it’s because I’ve been inoculated against the shock of it already, be it from years of studying FIRE movement material or from my beginning to digest news right at the time of the 2008 recession. Either way, I knew my investments would tumble at some point, potentially halving my net worth in the process. Knowing that, the 30% is… acceptable, I guess, in the grand scheme of things. Because I know humanity will continue to build, and the stock market is essentially a measurement of that, I also know this also will pass, economically speaking.

So no, I’m not panicked about this loss of index fund valuations. I know it’s temporary, that my value will bounce back and go on to greater heights with time. I’m only 25 years old. I’ve got time enough.

But Not Everyone Does.

My worries are for the people who don’t have time enough. Specifically, those who are going to suffer hard from coronavirus, with hospital stays in their future or worse. It’s easy for me to look at history and figure out what the future might look like. That’s different from living in the present and knowing nothing’s set in stone. I’m not scared for myself; it’s others that will get this worse.

Currently I’m protected against more than panic-selling. I’m also protected against the spread of coronavirus because I take the best measures possible to prevent infection. My hands are washed regularly, I’m holed up in my apartment 95% of the time, and the final 5% of the time (either getting groceries or going for a walk) is spent keeping as much distance possible between myself and other people. Thanks to my job I can also afford to continue these measures – I am not a medical professional, delivery driver, or cashier, so I don’t need to risk getting the virus as part of my profession.

For myself, there is absolutely zero worry. I got more than enough money to see myself through this. And food. And soap, too. What I’m worried about is everyone else.

Money is meaningless without a human connection. I didn’t realize I cared so much until this started happening. In fact, I started We Want Guac to primarily help people. The advice here doesn’t count for as much when you can’t implement it, so here’s some new advice.

Stay Informed, But Sparingly

Might be good to take breaks from social media and news sources. All of the best advice is already out there (social distance, self-isolate, WASH YOUR NASTY HANDS) and news of a vaccine is still months away. You won’t gain much more from staying glued to your feed, except for further anxiety and fear.

Get Creatively Social

Humans are social creatures. I understand why several people are ignoring advice to isolate, especially extroverts who never learned how to be by themselves. They’d rather risk directly murdering another instead of facing that lonely void. It’s the only reason I can come up with for risking it, besides willful ignorance or outright stupidity.

With that said, you can still be social with people. JUST AT A DISTANCE. You can do what I did and go for a social-distance walk, where everything’s the same except you keep enough room between you for the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. You can sit on a bench and talk with someone. Go hiking. Camping. Canoeing in separate boats. Whatever. You don’t need to be up in someone’s bubble to get your social fix. Figure it out so you can spare someone else a 2020 funeral date.

Look Into Anxiety Management Tactics

This virus shit has severely impacted your life. Such unexpected upheaval can really up your anxiety levels, so research strategies you can use to manage it and make yourself feel better. My strategies include exercise, listening to relaxing music, and writing. (Yes, writing this exact post actually is making me feel better.) Jess at the Fioneers shared a great virtual workshop today about coping tactics, and the Internet is not without further suggestion. If you’d rather lessen the impact of your stress or worries, I highly recommend going this route. This is a great lifelong tool overall, and will continue to pay you in times of uncertainty and fear.

Best of all, better anxiety management also boosts your body’s response to other health issues. There’s no better time to not have to go to the hospital than now, so get yourself some healthy coping strategies in this day and age.

This can be a space to talk about your worries. I’m listening, and I want to help you through this. Let me know if there’s other topics or viewpoints you’d like me to write about in the weeks ahead. Stay healthy and stay safe. I’m looking forward to the day we