In times of crisis or uncertainty, or so we are told, many people run scared.  But as someone who has dealt with adversity time and time again, that isn’t an option for me.  Sure, the doom and gloom that has struck Wall Street could have had us running to our bank and withdrawing all our money, but that just doesn’t make sense.  In a time when many have lost confidence, isn’t it an opportunity for success if you have (or at least outwardly display) confidence?

I haven’t extracted all of our funds from our local branch office in the last two days, instead I have come up with an economic plan to sooth the dismay.  Some may call it gutsy and others may cringe, but here is my simple two step plan for combating the downturn on Wall Street.

There is a lot of talk about the “crisis” hitting “Main Street,” but as far as I can tell I do not live anywhere near that location and am not sure that I plan to move there any time soon.  Sure, I could be naive, but I prefer to use the term proactive.  My economic plan, at this point in time, includes a two step process.  Simple? Yes.  Gutsy? Yes. But neither matters under the conditions of my plan.

Step One: Eat less.  Simple.  Eating less completes two goals of mine.

1. Eating less means spending less on groceries each week.  Spending less on groceries means more money in our pockets.
2. Also, eating less allows me to drop the necessary 20-30 pounds that I have been looking to shed over the past year to 18 months.  Remember good things come from bad things, so a bad economy, to me, means a healthier person.

Step Two: Invest.

The fact that so many “Main Street” Americans are running scared creates an opportunity for those with confidence and gusto.  Because I share those traits, I invest.  For me, the amount to invest does not matter. The fact that I am putting money to work in a company I believe is strong, at a tough time for the market, is what I regard as wise.  The greatest opportunity comes when others run scared from a still wise investment.  Regardless of how much money I invest now, it likely means that I will have more money to invest in the future due to prudent moves in tough economic times.  I just have to stay focused on the long term and forget the bumpy ride that my money will endure over the next few months.