This piece is part of my 2016–2026 archive migration. Some original formatting, content, and external links may be missing, changed, or not be optimized.
COVID-19 Didn’t F*ck Up Your Finances, You Did
Stimulus checks perpetuated financial irresponsibility amongst Americans
People and businesses were financially stressed TF out in 2020 – even still now. Do you know why? It wasn’t because of COVID-19; it was because most Americans didn’t take the time to recession-proof their finances. The norm for most Americans is to have little to no savings in the bank, and this still hasn’t changed in 2022. We have not learned from our mistakes yet.
As a whole, society’s consumption problem is an addiction. We’re so strung out, we sabotage our financial well-being and consistently justify our destructive financial habits.
Saving takes tremendous discipline; if it were easy to do, many people would be millionaires and financially independent, but most aren’t, and most never will be.
We Believe Our Jobs Are Bullet-Proof
One of the reasons Americans were not financially prepared for the Covid-19 crisis, which heavily impacted the job situation, is because many people believed they would always have their job, get their next paycheck, and the economy would never break.
I emphasize this point to my partner often: Even the best jobs in the world that have every reason to retain you could say bye-bye to you at any point – even if they promised they wouldn’t. You see, when you work for someone else, nothing is ever guaranteed – even if it’s guaranteed. Read that again.
The Fiscally Irresponsible Government Wanted To Be More Irresponsible
Unsurprisingly, the government – which is severely in debt – decided to financially rescue millions of people that have invested little to zero effort to better their financial situations by completing the following:
Investing in financial education
Living within their means
Consuming less
Saving more
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Everyone has a distinct situation, but many people received stimulus checks and mismanaged the funds. I’m not saying people don’t deserve help, but I’m also not for rewarding willful financial ignorance, financial abuse, and financial misconduct.
If Americans are not properly handling the dollars they have now, what makes them qualified to handle $1200+? I’ve witnessed many people buy many things they don’t need during the pandemic (e.g. TVs) proving the government might want to re-consider how they distribute funds they don’t even have.
Providing stimulus checks to the nation was a nice gesture, but it only put the nation in more debt. Furthermore, people are still financially struggling and mismanaging their money.
8 Remedies If You’ve Been In A Financial Pickle Since Covid-19
1. Spend less than you earn.
2. Always have more than one source of income.
3. Make a budget and implement discipline to stick to it.
4. Quit credit cards if they’re making your financial situation worse.
5. Build a 3–12 month emergency fund – depending on the stability of your job.
6. Talk about money with your loved ones so they can be better financially prepared.
7. Invest for the long haul. If you don’t have any money, start super small – even if it’s only $10 a month.
8. Most Americans are financially illiterate. It would be an invaluable addition to the American educational system to include curricula on personal finance widespread, but in the meantime, you must financially educate yourself and your loved ones.
Pandemics Will Continue To Happen
Pandemics will never cease happening – especially since or population continues to grow.
1918 Pandemic (H1N1 virus)
1957–1958 Pandemic (H2N2 virus)
1968 Pandemic (H3N2 virus)
2009 H1N1 Pandemic (H1N1pdm09 virus)
Source: CDC
There will most likely be a financial impact when the next pandemic happens (not that we’re out of the current one). Be sure to recession-proof your finances, but not only for pandemics! Other external circumstances outside of your control (e.g., medical emergency or job loss) will happen during your lifetime. Always be financially prepared, which will mitigate your anxiety.
This content is for informational purposes only — not professional advice. Consult a qualified professional before making any major decisions.