Tips from Pandemic Survivors

Key Takeaways

• Replace worry with action: When anxious about your finances or future, take concrete steps like budgeting, reviewing insurance, or consulting an advisor—worrying wastes time and increases suffering without improving outcomes
• Practice daily micro-pleasures to build resilience: Deliberately savor small moments (a quality coffee, video calls with loved ones) to create an emotional foundation that sustains you through economic downturns or market volatility
• Be strategically generous within your means: Helping others financially or through your time boosts your sense of control and psychological well-being, which research shows improves long-term financial decision-making
• Adopt a long-term perspective on crises: Economic downturns and market disruptions are temporary moments in time—elders who lived through the Great Depression and WWII confirm that recoveries do happen and rebuilding begins
• Interview your elders about money and resilience while you can: Ask older family members or mentors about how they navigated past financial crises, recessions, and uncertainty to gain wisdom and perspective for your own financial planning