It is no secret that the western world is going through economic hard times right now. It might not feel that way if you look at the stock markets, but the average family is dealing with company lay-offs and wage reductions, while costs are souring due to economic mismanagement by central planners. As a result, the average person has to find a way to do more with less. But few are well trained in this, and most will make what can often be considered fatal mistakes in how they attempt to remedy this situation.
Remember 2008? Banksters created an illusion that housing prices could keep going up and up because they artificially fueled demand by creating a new customer base of people who got mortgages that previously would never have qualified.
About 2 weeks ago, my daughter called me from Tucson, Arizona. She is a senior at the University of Arizona there. She had been stopped at the traffic lights in her car, when another car rear ended her. It wasn't a big accident. Thankfully no one was hurt, and there actually was little visible damage to the back of her car.
There is a lot of interest in the FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) movement, but I am skeptical of whether those that achieve FI during a bull market have what it takes to make it through a bear market...