Friday, December 26, 2008

How to Survive an Economic Recession

By Jan Shimano

There is no question about the fact that we are deep into an economic recession. Many of us are asking how we are going to get through this unscathed.

Basically, there are three possible outcomes. We could fall apart, we could perhaps not be overly affected or we could actually prosper. If you are like me, you are hoping for the latter. Yes, we all want to prosper regardless of the times we are living in. The big question is, how can we do it when all we see around us is doom and gloom?

If we look back in time, we will see that the economy is constantly fluctuating. Right now we find ourselves in a recession, but it wasn't too long ago that we were riding high and there was immense economic growth. We have also experienced periods of time where the economy was fairly stable.

We do not have to be frightened by this economic recession. There is so much hype in the media that sometimes it puts people in panic mode. It would be a good idea to get a little education on the causes of recessions and how to cope with them. I highly recommend a book by William Bonner entitled "Financial Reckoning Day: Surviving the Soft Depression of the 21st Century". Perhaps you can find a copy at your local library. Most libraries will order a book if it is not yet part of their inventory.

It is important that we are very careful about the way we are spending our money during an economic recession. Obviously, we still have to eat and most of us have to drive our cars to and from work, so food and gas would be classified as necessities. We should also try to save some money, even if it is just a little, for the possibility of even tighter times ahead.

Taking on any new debt would be a very unwise course of action. It is possible that we could afford that monthly payment for that new car, especially as the prices are rock bottom at present, but in such unpredicable times, we do not know what our financial situation might be in just a few short months.

There are numerous way to earn a little extra income. One idea that comes to mind is renting out those few extra rooms in your basement or home. With so many people losing their homes, there would be no trouble at all getting those rooms rented out.

There is a wonderful opportunity during an economic recession to start your own home based business. You might think that is a crazy idea but let me tell you about a study that McGraw-Hill Research did. They found that those companies who maintained or even increased their marketing during the recession in 1981-82 saw a huge increase in sales growth to the tune of 275%. Can you imagine! So how do you think companies made out that didn't do that? Well, those companies who cut their marketing saw an increase of only 19% during the same five year period. Folks, this is the best time in 70 years to start that home based business.

This is actually great news!

Fluctuations in the economy are part of life but they do not have to affect us adversely if we are smart and just take a few specific actions. One of the fastest and most successful ways to build a business is through Internet Marketing working from the comfort of your own home. This way of doing business comes highly recommended by Donald Trump and Robert T. Kiyosaki who have both written about the fact that more millionaires are going to be created through network marketing during the next number of years, than from any other form of business.

So my hope is that you will take this information to heart and move ahead by investigating the various ways you can very profitably survive this economic recession. I wish you all the success in the world. - 16069

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