Wednesday, November 12, 1997
What, Me Worry?
Yes!
by Wendy B G
([email protected])
Conventional wisdom says, "Don't worry, be happy!" But, I'd like to say that worry can be good.
I grew up in a big, two-family house in Brooklyn, with my parents and us kids downstairs, and my grandparents upstairs. We got lots of Depression stories with our chicken soup and matzo balls, including how my grandfather, a self-made immigrant millionaire in the 1920s, lost all his money in the 1929 crash. He forced my grandmother to sell IBM stock she bought in 1955. (Can you imagine what it would be worth now?)
Hearing all the Depression stories impressed me with the fact that bad things can happen. Added to this was the worry caused by the news of continual, massive corporate layoffs, not to mention the fact that my husband and I are now solidly middle-aged. I dreaded becoming a "DUMPie" (destitute unprepared middle-aged professional).
I pre-worried, and prepared for a scenario where we both lost our jobs at the same time. Instead of buying expensive cars and a custom-built home, like so many of our peers, we live in a modest brick home, which I paid off. We drive pre-1990 cars, and have no consumer debt. We do all our own home maintenance and cleaning, don't drink or use drugs, and seldom eat out. We invest conservatively but Foolishly.
Unfortunately, the scenario came to pass. We are both currently unemployed. However, by pre-worrying, I created a family financial structure with minimal necessary expenditures. Paradoxically, I'm not worried now, just methodically searching for new opportunities. Can worry be good? Yes!
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