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Money Moves to Make Now if You're Concerned About Recession

If you’ve been sweating over headlines about a recession on the horizon, you’re not alone. Polls of shoppers, investors and ordinary Americans suggest that recession fears are rising.

“Households expressed more pessimism about their year-ahead financial situations in February,” the New York Fed noted in a news release. The Fed’s new monthly Survey of Consumer Expectations finds that people are more worried about all aspects of their future financial stability, including their jobs, spending, borrowing and inflation. The Trump administration's refusal to rule out the possibility of a recession in recent weeks has exacerbated these anxieties.

While you might not be able to dodge a recession, experts say there are steps you can take to protect your financial security, from shoring up your savings to strengthening your professional network.

Your Everyday Money

Create an emergency fund

Your day-to-day dollars make up the front line of your defense against the threat of a recession, so it’s smart to make sure your budget and spending are in good shape before the road gets bumpy. Having an emergency fund gives you a financial buffer if something unexpected happens, whether that’s your car dying or you being laid off.

“I would suggest that everybody put a certain proportion of their paycheck or a certain dollar amount into a high-yield savings account,” says James Craft, professor of business administration at the University of Pittsburgh. If you’re just starting, aim for three months’ worth of expenses. Consider a bigger emergency fund — from six months to a year — if you work in a field with typically high turnover or you believe your job security is at risk.

Grow your cash cushion and look for ways to save

People tend to underestimate how much emergency savings they’ll need because they count the big-ticket bills — mortgage or rent, car payment, utilities — but can overlook the smaller expenses like workweek lunches or trips to the gas station, says Andy Smith, executive director of financial planning with Edelman Financial Engines.

“People remember the big stuff," he notes. "They overlook the little stuff, but that little stuff happens a lot more over the month than people realize."

Identify places where you can trim your spending. Cutting some now and identifying other areas to trim without doing it yet will keep you from feeling deprived and give you confidence that you have a plan if your financial situation does worsen.

Your Credit and Debt

Pay down debt

It’s smart to pay down debt when a recession is looming, especially high-interest and variable-rate debt like credit card balances.

“If you have a debt concern like credit card bills, cut that down as much as possible in case something happens,” says Ryan Derousseau at United Financial Planning Group in Hauppauge, New York.

Not only will this give you more flexibility if you do need to tap those cards to pay for living expenses, but having a lower balance could improve your credit score (more on that below).

Improve your credit score

Credit bureau Equifax says it’s smart to become familiar with your credit report, if you’re not already. If your economic situation goes downhill, you might have to borrow money or rely in the short term on credit cards. While not ideal, having a good credit score will at least make you eligible for the best interest rates.

Making sure you pay all your bills on time should be your top priority. After that, focus on paying down any existing credit card debt you’re carrying. This will lower your credit utilization ratio (a measurement of how close you are to maxing out your cards), which is an important part of your credit score. Also think twice about taking on any new debt, especially store credit cards; opening new accounts can temporarily depress your credit score.

Your Career

Tend to your resume and your network

Rising unemployment is one of the worst effects of a recession. If you haven’t looked at your resume or your LinkedIn profile in a while, considering do so now. Make sure all your information is up-to-date, including your professional accomplishments, any links and contact info, especially for your references.

Speaking of those references, now is the time to reach out to your professional network if you’ve let those connections stagnate. Don’t be that person who only gets in touch when you need something. 

Add to your skills

Staying up-to-date on your existing skills and acquiring new ones not only burnish your resume but make you a more valuable worker, says career and leadership coach Todd Dewett. “[Make] an effort to show that you’re adding additional value,” he says in an email.

Not sure where to start? Dewett suggests AI. “There is huge demand in all industries and it’s tough to find professionals with these skills,” he says. “Showing your supervisor you can save time or improve results using AI tools is huge from a job-security perspective.”

Open an Old National Savings account to get started on your emergency fund.

This article was written by Martha C. White from Money and was legally licensed through the DiveMarketplace by Industry Dive. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@industrydive.com.

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