No one can forget the 2008 financial crisis. It’s been 6 years since then. Lehman was bankrupt. Major stocks went big time down. Home prices went down between 10%-20%. More than 2 million people became jobless.
There was a survey done on around 1000 adult investors and they were asked what they do differently. The question asked was what they think about money now vs. 6 years ago. And the findings are mentioned below:
42% of the adults are contributing more towards their retirement accounts or IRA. If you feel that you are behind in your savings, the best way to get this back on track is to just start doing it. Then you can set it up on an automatic basis. First you figure out an amount that you can easily save at the end of the month, and then set it up electronically. It is important that you pay yourself first.
Next 55% of the people feel that their retirement plan today is much better than the one that was before 2008 financial crisis. Why? They have done some good retirement planning. With good professional help, you can get a clear picture of how to fund your retirement lifestyle that works the best in your situation. You just need to set a budget and stick to it. You get a target rate of return that needs to be earned on your investments.
Another 42% of the people have increased their emergency funds. This is a kind of savings that can be used only during emergencies. This money is usually not invested for a long period of time. There are some people who will actually want to create an emergency fund before investing and keep on adding money towards it, before they actually start investing in shares or bonds. If you have not set money aside for emergency funds, you can do it now. You just have to shoot 3-6 months of living expenses in a savings account.
80% of the adults believe that they have a better knowledge about their finances now before the 2008 financial crisis. This is much better. Young adults are investing their time into learning, and this will definitely help them in making better financial decisions.
72% of the people believe that their debt amount is much less than what it were earlier 2008. It is important to know what you can and what you cannot afford. Paying down your debts is always good for your future. You need to identify the sources from where your money will be coming and use it to pay your existing debts. Also keep an eye on how much you are paying down every month. Sometimes we learn from our experiences. So the key thing is to use what we have learned and take actions.