Making Big Decisions In The Midst Of Uncertainty

In an ideal world, if we have a decision to make, we would have everything planned out where our blind spots are covered and the situation is ideal. In the real world, that simply isn't the case. Join us as we walk through a couple of decisions Steve has had to make in the midst of uncertainty.

We hope this video is encouraging and enlightening. If you have any questions, or want to run a potential decision by us, please connect with us.

Read the full transcript below.


You just do your best. You wake up, you do the best that you can that day, and be grateful for that day, and when you go lay your head on your pillow at night, you hope that you can wake up again and you do the same thing the next day.
— Steve Alverson, CFP

Transcript

Barry: Steve, I have a question for you. You know, there's so much uncertainty right now. There's economic uncertainties, there's medical uncertainty, and there's certainly political uncertainties going on. In the midst of that, you and your wife have just made a really significant purchase. Speak to those that are facing and making some big choices right now in the midst of all of this uncertainty.

Steve: Wow. Yeah, so my wife and I have been working ever since we moved here to Nashville, after going to grad school, paying off loans, and saving for a down payment, we have worked to purchase our first home. It's been 10 long years, but we've been working towards that and yes, in the midst of a pandemic, we have made our first purchase. I would say that life has to move on. I'm not trying to diminish what we've gone through, or what we are going through, but you have to live your life. We, in spite of the circumstances, had a child two months ago. Our family has grown. There's not enough space for the things that we need or the tools that we need for three children in our little bitty home.

Making a purchase during this time is scary. You don't know if your income is going to stay there, or maybe your savings have dwindled. There's some uncertainty, but you still just have to live. And so, we're just taking a step of faith and just moving on. We're just going to continue to work. It's much like we did to get to this point. We're going to work just as hard after.

Barry: Yeah. Thanks. That's good perspective. As, Steve and his wife were working through this process, we had many, many discussions. I know for Melissa and I, we can look back over 38 years of marriage, this September, and look at the number of things that we were really concerned about at the time. I know when we bought our first house in 1986, our mortgage rate was about 14%.

Steve: 14%?

Barry: 14%. That was the going rate at the time, but we look back and it worked out for me. I think your perspective is great, as life does have to go on.

Steve: We didn't have a choice when our son was born. On March 22nd, two weeks after shutdown, we didn't have a choice. It kind of had to have happened. So, you have to live life. Sure, you can put off certain decisions, but sometimes you just gotta keep moving forward.

Barry: I think there's so much health in general in that perspective, that rather than living in a state of fear and uncertainty that you just plow ahead. This, with the best knowledge we have, we're going to make the best choices we can, and we're going to move on. It may not work out the way we want, but if it doesn't, then we'll make another choice.

Steve: You just do your best. You wake up, you do the best that you can that day, and be grateful for that day, and when you go lay your head on your pillow at night, you hope that you can wake up again and you do the same thing the next day.

Barry: Yeah. That's good. Thank you.