I am sure most of you are stressed out about the economy, a new president and your 401K plan, etc.  Sometimes it can be overwhelming when you add all that to your daily demands at work and with your families.

It may be best to really break things down to what is in our control and what is not.  Taking things off the table (those we can't control) allows us to focus our time and efforts on things we can control, which in turn can actually improve our dispositions and clarity.

Long range planning requires us to look at trends, the economy, our job security, and our families needs, etc.  Most of our efforts however should be about today.  We need to make the best choices possible for the here and now.  For instance, if your heating and cooling system costs a bundle to operate, and it breaks down a lot, it may be best to replace it now and finance most of the cost.  Even though you will be paying interest, your energy savings and reliability factor will offset the cost of the principal and interest payments.  Once the finance term is reached, you will be in positive cash flow territory.  None of this will actually cost you a cent and as utility costs increase your savings will accelerate.

Another example would be regarding your plumbing system.  If you need an emergency repair, a leak for example, and there are two other problems you have but are not pressing, what should you do, just fix the leak now?  If we assume the other smaller problems will eventually be emergencies, it will be less expensive to have all the repairs done at once.  You can help us to be more efficient – we are already there- and the additional job may be done at a reduced rate, plus one service call fee is cheaper than three!

I hope these thoughts may help you but most importantly, keep your families and yourself safe and happy.  After all that is what is most important TODAY.