Tools for Coping with Market Roller Coaster

Now that credit rating firm Standard and Poor's has downgraded the United States' government debt from AAA to AA+ for the first time in history, a sense of uncertainty has again taken over the American psyche. After another historic plummet of the stock market last week in response to Congress' clumsy negotiations over raising the debt ceiling, all this week the market has performed erratically - both dramatically lower and higher. How will next week play out? No one knows for sure. But families all over Marina del Rey are bracing for the effect of the national - and global - financial chaos on their own personal futures.

Many are concerned that the S&P downgrade of U.S. bonds - and their additional downgrade of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - will raise interest rates for families, making it more difficult to pay off credit card debt or arrange for a loan to purchase a new car or home. And small business owners, already hampered in their abilities to function, are facing another setback in their growth from these S&P downgrades.

Are you unnerved by the current stock market volatility, with its wild swings down and up? If you're feeling anxious about how the national and global economic unrest will affect your personal and family finances, you're not alone. You may be rethinking how you will handle your planned retirement, your kids' college educations, supporting your needy parents, even your day-to-day expenses.

What to do in these difficult days? We've compiled tips to help you deal with the emotional overload you may be experiencing. When you click on this link, Taking Control of Stress in a Financial Storm, you'll find a collection of eight white papers with practical tools for reducing stress, getting some control over your expenses, understanding the role financial instability plays in your marriage, creating new ways of flexible family living within this turbulent economy and investing in your own physical and emotional well-being. It's our gift to neighbors here in Marina del Rey. You can download the pdf file - use it to help keep your balance in the midst of this financial turmoil and create solutions for your family.