Not so recently, I had an interesting discussion with a distant relative of mine on the state of the world, particularly in terms of a financial crisis or the lack thereof.
One of the things that I could gather from her is that there's an expectation of some form of financial crisis, perhaps a recession or something similar, but nothing of that has tangibly being observed, yet.
On the surface, things look relatively okay but when you scratch beneath it, the facts, data or whatever you want to call it, paints a different picture.
Taking the other side of the argument, I insisted that we're already in a financial crisis. Rising costs on the purchase of everyday items and the value of earned income decreasing.
Could it get any worse than that?
She affirmed that we live in a propped up society, in the sense that many people are living on credit, maintaining lifestyles they can't truly afford.
"The real crisis," she explained, "is more so about our collective denial of financial reality."
Here, I interpreted financial reality as the harsh truth that many of us are just one or two paychecks away from financial distress, despite maintaining appearances of prosperity.
What struck me as an interesting perspective is I see people struggling with grocery bills and rent payments, she was looking at the broader systemic issues that have been building for decades.
Two different perspective of measuring financial health.
I think the "propping up" she referred to probably includes everything from government monetary policies to consumer behavior patterns, which acts as a cover of sorts.
Financial Perception
We also discussed how different generations view financial crises differently.
For her generation, born around the 1970s, a financial crisis meant bank runs and market crashes – visible, dramatic events that made headlines.
Today's crisis is more insidious. For example, the slow erosion of purchasing power or the widening wealth gap and the increasing difficulty of achieving traditional financial milestones like homeownership or retirement savings.
When looked from a week by week basis, there isn't much evidence of crisis in our daily routines to warrant immediate alarm.
I was both right and wrong about us already being in a crisis. From her viewpoint, these current challenges like purchasing power squeeze are just tremors before a potential earthquake.
The real crisis may come when the various props holding up our financial system – low interest rates, deficit spending, consumer debt – can no longer sustain the weight.
Needless to say, I had a paradigm shift after that conversation and it led me to reflect on several key lessons:
Financial crises don't always announce themselves with dramatic crashes. Dramatic crashes are usually when the underlying damage to economic fundamentals has already reached a critical point.
The importance of building personal financial resilience, regardless of whether a broader crisis materializes. Pay yourself first. In good times, it builds wealth. In bad times, it builds survival.
The need to distinguish between personal financial challenges and systemic risks. My default mode is to focus on the former but the implications from the latter could be yet to unfold and impact the former in ways that might render conventional financial planning strategies inadequate.
The value of intergenerational perspectives on financial matters. Each generation's experience with money and crisis shapes their outlook and risk assessment.
Gap In Awareness
Also in this sense, financial stability could be measured between the gap between expectations and reality. The bigger the gap, the less stability. Maybe the greatest financial crisis isn't economic at all – it's psychological.
The best time to prepare for a crisis is when others think it won't happen. The second best time is now.
Whether or not a major financial crisis is looming I'm not so sure. But I'll continue living below my means, build emergency savings, invest wisely, and stay informed about both personal and global financial trends.
Thanks for reading!! Share your thoughts below on the comments.
