Life is really unpredictable. Preparation is critical to surviving uncertainty. People have become aware of the adverse consequences caused by nature, accidents, or even deliberate actions. People often worry about what-ifs and consider what they can do to protect themselves and their families.
Risk avoidance is undoubtedly why insurance companies and other businesses thrive. After all, anyone with the right preparation can turn a potential financial or life-threatening tragedy into a temporary setback. Below are a few ways you can protect yourself from the unexpected.
# 1 – Build an Emergency Fund
As one of the most popular financial safety nets, an emergency fund is a sum of money that you put aside to cover sudden expenses due to medical or financial emergencies. This could include unexpected car repairs, property damage, medical bills, or even unemployment.
Situations like the COVID-19 pandemic, recessions, and other mishaps can instantly change your financial security. The possibility of employees losing their jobs and closing some companies remains. When these things happen, an emergency fund will support you throughout your unemployment.
Financial experts suggest keeping a separate savings account with one Emergency funds with living costs of three to six months.
# 2 – replenish basic needs
Even before the current pandemic, survival households had stocked up in preparation for the worst. Survivors fortify their basements and fill them with non-perishable goods and other items that their families would use on a daily basis.
There is a limited need to stock up for an extended period of time, but it makes sense to keep extra canned foods, instant noodles, and other foods with a longer shelf life around your home. Toiletries and medication are also worth a stash. This can help you get through a few days / weeks in case groceries are no longer available or you cannot reach a store.
# 3 – Prove your home
Most preppers also fortify their homes to protect each household member from the dangers posed by the unexpected. You don’t have to prepare for a total collapse, such as a nuclear attack. However, it is good to take some basic precautions to keep your home safe from theft and evasion.
We recommend setting up a security system. Simplisafe’s DIY security system is a great budget option. Security cameras and security lights on the outside of your home can also prevent people from entering your home. For more information, see our article on Choosing a Home Security System.
# 4 – improve online security
With so much of our personal and financial information now stored online, online security is critical to protecting your life. Basic steps are:
- Strong Passwords – Use services like Last Pass that allow you to generate and store complex passwords
- Use 2-factor authentication whenever it is offered
- Use your email provider’s free tools to scan emails for potential fraud. Never open an attachment or link from an unknown sender
- Don’t answer the online tests that are often found on social media websites. These tests often contain questions that websites use as security questions. By completing these tests, you are disclosing your critical information to hackers
Depending on your privacy needs, you may want to hide your presence when visiting new websites using a private VPN like PureVPN or NordVPN.
# 5 – Stick to a strict budget
Budgeting sounds like a cliché and some people often ignore this spending method because it doesn’t work for them. However, a solid, realistic estimate of expenses and self-discipline will keep you from buying things that you don’t need. The money you spend minimizing your spills adds up quickly and makes the whole system effective.
A great example of unwise spending would be topping up your credit card balance and not withdrawing it. This expensive habit doubles the damage to your bank account by running into debt while collecting interest fees. If you do this often enough, it can lead to poor creditworthiness, which further affects your financial health. To protect your credit status, use your credit cards and make sure no one can steal your identity using services like Lifelock.
# 6 – Live below your means
As your income increases, it is easy to fall into a lifestyle creep trap. If you increase spending with every increase in income, you are missing out on the opportunity to save more money in the future. If you keep the same spending habit, you can see greater savings than those who committed to new liabilities like a new car, travel plans, and other wasteful expenses.
# 7 – Invest for Retirement
It is understandable why many young people choose to avoid the struggle to save for their retirement. Why should you save money on something decades away? Unfortunately, this is the way of thinking that leads many Americans to postpone retirement or live on extremely limited budgets during their retirement years.
If you save up front, you can take advantage of compound interest. Many employers offer retirement plans for 401 (k) or 403 (b). Most of all, people use these privileges when they are provided by the company as they can also use some of that money when needed.
# 8 – Invest in Assets
Playing on the stock exchange is a high-risk, high-return investment option. Investing in assets is a safe long term investment plan. Real estate is a classic example of where you can buy a piece of land and convert it into a rental home that pays off. In the long term, you will also benefit from an appreciation of the home price.
# 9 – Have the right insurance coverage
In the event of accidents, health problems and other unforeseen events, a good insurance policy protects you from unforeseen financial consequences.
Evaluate the different types of insurance to balance the risk with the cost / benefit of the policy. For example, disability insurance may be essential if you work in places where the risk of serious illness or injury is high. An umbrella policy, on the other hand, offers additional liability insurance if your other insurance policies are insufficient.
While it is important to find great coverage, it is equally important to look for lower insurance rates and avoid having multiple policies providing the same benefits. This step cuts your monthly insurance premium bills significantly.
# 10 – Build Multiple Streams of Income
Having multiple sources of income is no longer seen as a luxury but as a necessity. If there is anything that the last recession taught us, then no job is safe. The economy fluctuates outside of man’s control and this becomes a delicate problem for people whose only source of income is their daily work.
People are beginning to see the financial risks of a single source of income. Four in ten Americans have a secondary job or an additional source of income. Should you ever find yourself losing your 9-5 day job, there is an opportunity to expand your new sources of income and possibly make them your full-time job.
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