The topic for this blog is optimism. National Hockey League Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky used to say “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been”. These are wise words today in our uncertain times. What I mean is, it’s impossible to know what our future holds, but we need to look ahead to when the coronavirus is under control with a vaccine and a widely accessible cure is available.
I choose to look at the world through a positive lens. As a glass half full guy. We’ve learned a lot about the virus and I believe we’ve seen the worst of it. Don’t get me wrong, no one knows our future, but we are a lot more knowledgeable now than we were back in March. Many schools are opening, businesses are ramping up and we’re learning that being outside with physical distancing is safer than we thought back in March.
So my take is for those of us who are generally healthy, we need to practice common sense safety habits as stated by the CDC guidelines and get on with our lives.
In keeping with my story, I’ll share this quote from Washington Nationals Manager  Davey Martinez, after winning the 2019 World Series.

“Bumpy roads can lead to a beautiful place. This is a beautiful place”

To help you get to your beautiful place, check out this practical guide from Dave Ramsey of the 20 ways to save money. How to Save Money – 20 Simple Tips by Dave Ramsey:

https://www.daveramsey.com/blog/the-secret-to-saving-money?utm_source=source=cnl&utm_medium=email&utm_content=8.30_cnl_blog_everydollar_gsa&utm_term=everydollar_bu&utm_campaign=cnl_newsletter&utm_id=cnl_newsletter&cd17=B2C_DR_CNL_DRCOM-7652_GSA_AdB_200830&email_id=3178148

If you’re looking for help or a second opinion in your personal financial journey or need some specific advice with a financial challenge you’re dealing with, contact me at: www.fettermanfinancialsolutions.com and schedule a free consultation and coaching session. Best wishes to you and your family and stay safe!

Respectfully,
Mike Fetterman

Looking at the brighter side…

So here we are, many weeks into the terrible COVID 19 coronavirus pandemic. Living in Virginia, we’re under stay-at-home orders and we’ll be heading into phase one of getting our economy open, hopefully soon. Needless to say, it’s a trying time for all of us, and especially devastating for those who have been directly impacted by the virus. There’s no denying that this truly is an invisible enemy to all of us.

What I’d like to do in this blog post is try to share some advice and hope about how to cope during these trying and uncertain times. As Americans, we’re typically optimists. Some more than others obviously, but when we look at the glass half full, it helps make life’s ups-and-downs easier to swallow…pun intended. This leads me to what I’m writing about today…..Positive vs. Negative

There are things in life that we can control and things we just can’t control. As a financial coach, I know we can control many aspects of our personal finances. I’ve done it for my family for many years and you can too. It’s paying attention to the little things that help us stay on track…I call it “minding the store”. You may have heard that phrase before.

Cal Thomas, in a recent column in the Washington Times noted: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength”.

All the negativity that surrounds us can cause anxiety and despair in even the most stable emotionally among us. This can lead to panic and unwise decision making when it comes to our finances and other important areas of our lives.

To stay positive, I try to limit my intake of the news to my morning newspaper and some evening news highlights to be informed on what I really need to know to stay safe and be aware of what’s going on with the pandemic and what’s expected of me and my family. When I watch too much or I worry too much, it truly brings me down and that’s a negative that I just don’t need or want. It also causes stress and anxiety which clearly isn’t healthy. Plus, most of what we see on the news is outside of our control. I go on daily walks with my family around our neighborhood, spend time working on my yard, reading books about my faith, finance and sports (since I can’t watch any live sports now) staying in touch with family and friends via Zoom, texting or the old fashioned telephone, relaxing playing family games and hanging out doing nothing just to chill out.

So where am I going with this? Being grateful. It’s certainly not easy if you are not working and don’t know when your next paycheck will arrive, but try taking a few moments of your day to thank God for all the blessings we have, thank your family for being there with you for those who are stuck with them , our government leaders at all levels, our health care teams, our scientists racing to develop a vaccine, our businesses making test kits and ventilators, our grocery store workers and our other store workers, our police, our fire fighters and our military (I’m a veteran, so I’ll never forget them) who are all on the front lines during this crisis trying their best to protect us.

Look for the silver lining, however faint, in all of the storm clouds that surround us. For the newly unemployed or furloughed among us, don’t forget to apply for unemployment benefits by going to your state’s website. For small business owners, the Paycheck Protection Plan and other government loans and grants are available by checking out the Small Business Administration (SBA) website at www.sba.gov .

This is the time to dip into your emergency fund if you need to keep up with the bills and needs of your family to keep the four walls (food, home, utilities and transportation) intact. Try not to use your retirement accounts if at all possible. Although, the rules have recently changed with all of the government aid being doled out to make it easier to access them, you’re stealing from your future self by doing that. I recommend only using these accounts as a last resort to keep the lights on and food on the table. I would hoard cash and limit debt as much as possible.

Laughter is a powerful coping mechanism during this virus crisis. Reach out to some old friends and family you haven’t talked to in awhile. There’s a good chance they’ll be home…ha ha! My wife and I recently reached out to dear friends that moved to Texas a couple of years ago and it was so much fun to connect and laugh about the times and memories we shared together while they were here. If you’re technically inclined, you could Zoom or Facetime or use some other similar app with friends and family to see how long their hair is growing (for those who still have hair, in my case not so much).

Taking this challenge and making it an opportunity to help others can soothe your well-being and give you some feeling of accomplishment and happiness.There are many good news stories out there that are inspiring.  You could be a part of that story with your new found time and the talents you can share with others. I took on a mini challenge by being a videographer for my wife’s video that I’m sharing below that has already helped create joy and fun for some of our family and friends. I’ve never done that before and it was a fun project for us.

If you’re looking for something fun to do that can bring you joy, my wife, who is a teaching artist, has posted a beautiful way to pass the time while painting using acrylics. It’s a “how to” video that I helped create that takes you step-by-step to include the supplies and paints that you can use to complete a painting, even if you’ve never tried painting before. I can’t draw a stick figure and she has guided me in a couple of paintings in the past that I’m actually proud of and I had fun painting them.

Click on the link below to learn how you can paint and have fun by going to Lesson One: “Painting Virginia Bluebells”. It’s only 23 minutes to watch, but you can pause it to go step-by-step when you’re painting. It’s quite entertaining to watch even if you decide you don’t want to paint. She plans to do more of these, so if this interests you, please check out her site periodically for more videos.

www.art-together.com/announcing-free-online-spring-classes/

I’ll close for now wishing and praying for your safety, health and financial fitness during these uncertain times. Let’s accentuate the positive, minimize the negative. We’ll feel better and it might have a side effect of benefiting our immune systems.

Please note that these ideas I share on my blog posts are meant to be informative and may not pertain to your specific situation.

If you’re interested in another opinion about your personal finances and getting a free financial coaching session to help meet your goals, just go to my website to get more info about me, my services and schedule an appointment with me at: www.fettermanfinancialsolutions.com