I was sitting in my truck listening to someone on NPR talking about the World Trade Center attacks when the third plane hit the Pentagon. Then the fourth plane crashed. I remember wondering what would happen next. That feeling dissipated over a few days. The world has changed a great deal since 2001. But those changes occurred just slowly enough that everything felt “normal.” Until a few months ago, I thought 9/11 would be the most life-changing world event in my lifetime. Then, in what seemed like a few minutes, millions of people were unemployed, and it was a crime to get a haircut.
Some things will eventually go back to the way they were in the 20-teens. Someday soon we will be able to eat inside restaurants and get our teeth cleaned. As the threat begins to subside, the government that used all of its police power (and then some) to close down society will implement policies to make the world spin again. But there will be permanent changes.
We will probably see more widespread acceptance of some things that were already beginning to change. The number of people working from home was growing. Online education was becoming more popular. The use of technology in general was increasing. We may also come to accept that the world changes too quickly to establish a “new normal.” Even when the full economic, social, and political effects of COVID-19 are written in the history books, we will still have uncertainty. Something is coming next.
Uncertainty does not go away. It is just hard to accept until something goes wrong. I have always warned clients of the possibility of insolvency, bankruptcy, judgments, divorce, catastrophic injury, unexpected death, debilitating illness, and long-term care costs. These problems seem to exist only as theoretical possibilities to those who have not experienced them. But I can assure you that they are real. I have stood alongside dozens of people as they put the pieces of their lives back together after one of these events. Nobody expected it to happen to them. Nobody is fully prepared. Life did not go on as normal.
COVID-19 will close some doors and open others. So will the next crisis. This is a good time to evaluate risk and opportunity in all parts of your life. If the uneasy feeling you have now leads you to the conclusion that you should do more to protect yourself, your business, or your family, that is why we are here.