The fine line between your health and your livelihood.

With so many parts of the economic engine moving at the same time, it’s no surprise that the financial system is extremely complex. Sometimes our nation’s financial machine runs flawlessly, other times it feels like it’s a V8 engine only hitting on five cylinders.

Every once in a while the economy starts to turn over but just doesn’t get enough juice to start. That’s pretty much where we are today. Last year, our economic engine was running relatively smoothly. Then the Coronavirus hit, and for the first time I can ever recall, our leaders shut down the mighty U. S. economy and sent most of us home.

Many states have cautiously restarted their economies, and at some point in the not too distant future, more people in Michigan will likely be allowed to return to their workplace. But no matter what decisions our elected officials make, the critics will have a field day.

Some will accuse them of being overly cautious while others will complain that they want to move forward too quickly. Whatever decisions they make or directions they take, it seems our leaders just can’t avoid making at least half of their constituency unhappy.

When the time comes to physically reopen my office, I want to be certain it’s safe for me, for my staff and most important, for all our Lifetime Planning clients. Please note that I said physically reopen. Because, throughout this ordeal, every advisor and staff member has gotten the job done efficiently and effectively while working from home.

It’s not just us; businesses throughout the state have continued to operate remotely during this pandemic. Thanks to technology, many people have been working from living rooms instead of conference rooms.

On the one hand, I don’t believe we can live in a bubble, but neither can we afford to be reckless or insensitive regarding everyone’s health. And without good health, it’s somewhat difficult to enjoy the fruits of your labors.

Because there are so many unknowns about this virus, several questions must be answered. For instance, when we are cleared to reopen our office, should we all wear masks? Do we require our clients to wear masks? Do we have everyone return to the office full time or should some continue to work from home? Will our clients be willing to come back to meet at our office or will they prefer online video conferencing and telephones?

Obviously we want to be welcoming, but at the same time we need to be cautious. Our situation is certainly not unique. There are many businesses trying to determine the best way to reopen their doors. And it’s very likely that many of them will alter how they conduct their daily business.

Like most people, I found it challenging to remain home every day. But on the other hand, I learned how efficiently we could operate remotely and service our client base professionally.

I wish I could hop into a DeLorean time machine and fast forward ten years. I assume by then we’ll be able to see what we did right and what mistakes we made.

I help people make decisions with their money every day. With the sudden loss of so many jobs, it’s clearer than ever how much money and health are intertwined.