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“Remember, Never Touch Downed Wires & Report them Immediately”

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Coronavirus Infects Stock Market: Part XXVIII

You know life changes quickly in times like these. One minute you’re enjoying the quarant-time (my daughter’s word) and the next it’s 2:30 in the morning and you’re thinking about patio furniture—I was at least.

We’re expecting hurricane-force winds today (perhaps not technically the 75mph hurricane-force threshold, but 72mph is close enough). Before bed, National Grid (the regional power company here) texted warnings, “Remember, never touch downed wires & report them immediately to 1.800.465.1212.” Sleep tight!

Is the patio furniture away? I thought to myself. What if you lose power with all that food in your freezer and the natural gas goes out like it did last year? How will you get through it when getting groceries feels like a movie-set where bad things happen?

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You get my drift? Having electricity to power the fridge has never felt more essential. Let’s assume/hope you have no disturbance in your power. Isn’t this the perfect time to prepare for an occasion when you do lose it?

What if something happens to your plumbing? Not your expertise? Doesn’t it make sense, when the coast is clearer, to strengthen your relationship with your plumber? Why not perfect those cookies you’ve been baking and give them as a gift the next time you see him.

Remember, barter is back. What you hope to receive in exchange is a cell number you can text in an emergency—not some 1.800.

Moving forward, use any visit from an essential service provider (tree service for example) as a way for you to enhance your relationships and make it easier to get back to sleep when you ponder in your mind:

  • What if I temporarily lose drinking water? You can read more here.
  • How do I protect against intruders? You want to be the house, or neighborhood (talk with your neighbors) that is the last stop on burglars’ lists, not the first one. Make sure yours has the power to light up like a Christmas tree if need be. If you have a vacant second home, make sure a neighbor or your caretaker has your back.

You have what it takes to strengthen your relationships. You just need to beat inertia and think about what you bring to the table—how you can improve another person’s life. Keep baking!

Read my entire series, Coronavirus Infects Stock Market here.

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E.J. Smith - Your Survival Guy

E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. His focus at all times is on preparing clients and readers for “Times Like These.” E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zildjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart (RIP) of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West (RIP JB) and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@yoursurvivalguy.com To sign up for my free monthly Survive & Thrive letter, click here.
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