MoneyTheory

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Okay, I have to say that I have heard way too much about the economy from the mainstream media lately.  Seriously, that’s all you ever hear about whenever you turn on the TV, glance at the front page of the newspaper, view major search engines, hear commercials, etc., etc.  It’s totally to the point of absolute overload.

And the reason why it is such a prevalent subject is quite logical as well.  The economy is something that does apply to just about everyone in one form or another, and money is such a huge aspect of everyone’s lives.  After all, that’s one reason why I have this blog.  Heck, I even have a few posts regarding the recession as well.

But the point that I am trying to get to is not so much a rant about a disdain for the excessive discussion of the economy in general, but rather, it would be a bit of grumbling about how it all seems to really be getting out of hand, as far as how complicated the whole subject has become.  Every day, you hear some sort of news about this bailout or that, that bank that failed, or the other one who lost a bunch of money.  You hear wild budget proposals, lower funding there, lower taxes here, higher there, earmarks on the pork, partisan arguments across the aisle, panic on the wall street floor, housing market failures causing massive foreclosures, and on, and on, and on.

Money should not be this complicated, period.

It’s amazing how all the rampant banter and bad news can really affect us all, resulting in an unintended shift in actions.  And again, it only follows logic.  There is a threat out there, and people are trying to protect themselves.  Of course you will want to take care of you and yours.  It really is that simple.

And that’s what this post is all about – with such a complicated mess out there, it can be so hard to wrap your head around it, that you almost want to throw up your hands and say “forget it,” this all just doesn’t make much sense, so I’m going to focus on the fundamentals and do what I feel is best to help me get through all this as unscathed as possible.  Maybe that’s not such a bad idea!

Really, I think things have gotten so out of hand with regards to the overall, big-picture handling of the whole situation, that it almost seems like the powers that be are just making money out of thin air and throwing it at the problem, hoping that it will “stimulate” the economy back into a growth cycle and save us all from financial doom.

The thing about it all though is that the world has so many variables and has never been as global as it is today, so it’s basically like we are swimming in uncharted waters, so do we really know if trillion-dollar packages are really going to do anything beneficial?

In my opinion, I feel that the most important thing to do is to make it a point to integrate the fundamentals of responsible personal finance into all aspects of anything money-related in your life, and strive to take care of you and yours the best you can, and help others along the way.

And this might mean saying “forget the rest!”

What I mean by that is, unless you have found yourself in a situation where you have no choice but to reach out for governmental help (which is certainly not something you should feel bad about yourself for), it may be best to never factor into your personal finance equation the need to rely on the “powers that be” to get you by.

There is so much going on right now that is unprecedented, and as usual, the whole of it doesn’t seem to work in the public’s favor.

In general, the universal rule of the world at large is that money is indeed the universal language, and the ones who have the most of it are the ones who are really in control.  No matter what they may say, the vast majority of the ones on top are not working in your favor.

So, with that being said, that’s why it is so important to develop your own path and plan, and set yourself up for success (or even just survival) in the best way that you can.

Simply put, the forces at work already have the gears turning, but you don’t always have to listen to the noise.  You can drown it out, make your own world, and take care of you and yours, while extending a helping hand to those in need along the way.

This doesn’t mean being ignorant, passive, or indifferent though.  Let your voice be heard!  What it does mean is that you should always evaluate everything yourself, and make your own decisions or develop your own way to view what you are told.  After all, you are working in your best interest – don’t think that others are always going to do it for you.