I recently watched one of those hilarious slingshot videos where the occupants of the famous slingshot-ride, scream, then pass out, wake up, and pass out again. This continues for practically the entire ride; bobbing heads, flowing hair, followed by panicked screams. It’s funny and frightening at the same time. You can probably see where I am going with this…

2022 saw the dawn of the post pandemic global economy and it had all the scary trademarks we expected – supply chain issues culminating in empty shelves in certain classes of goods and products (like petfood and baby milk formulae); civil unrests and strikes; the great resignation as workers realised there are alternative life and work models; diminishing household incomes as pandemic funding started to dry up; further global energy and crude oil pressure with the war in Ukraine; inflationary pressure and fear of a recession in the US; and a current humanitarian burnout which seems to manifest itself in the so-called quiet quitting phenomena.

The world really does seem to be on its head. Domestically, we’ve had no short supply of our own unique list of problems including rife political corruption; ESKOM with its ever-increasing operational problems and financial woes, aggravating our energy crisis; the closing down and consequent buyouts of numerous SOE’s leading to huge financial and job losses; and the list seems to be growing by the day.

One can hardly be blamed for feeling punch drunk and like we live trapped inside a looped horror movie to say the least. What then is our best approach in this current unpredictable market?

I would like to propose 5 practical considerations as a starting point:

• Keep what you have and don’t make any hasty decisions, especially not without your financial advisor. Now might not be the best time to make serious changes to your portfolio (especially where it relates to pension and disability cover).

• Take a decent break from work and also from the influence of social media and all kinds of technology. Consider taking a technology sabbatical for a few weeks during the holiday season.

• Maintain (or begin) a healthy lifestyle – eat healthy greens, cut down on alcohol and caffeine intake, sleep at least 8 hours uninterrupted sleep, participate in some form of exercise for at least 30 to 45 mins per day.

• Beware the debt monster and cultivate good spending habits – keep your debt under control and pay off high interest debt like credit cards and clothing accounts as soon as possible. Try to stay clear of overdrafts and other kinds of long-term debt, especially with Christmas around the corner.

• This too shall pass – all economic cycles, commodities and investment prices tend to go up, and down again. What we are currently seeing is not the first or the last. Stay committed to your investment plan, strategy, and products.

I will end this piece with a tiny soapbox moment as they say. As I get older, I have also learnt throughout my years as a CFP and independent broker, that life happens, and sometimes in the madness all around us we can find tranquility and peace if we look for it.

Try to be less reactionary and accept that for the time being the world we live in is volatile and unpredictable and accept that it will stay like this for a while.

Let’s do our best to weather the storm, to remain positive about our tenacity as South Africans, and to be brave enough to have faith in our efforts.

Find your tranquility in the volatility!