Shadow of Larry Burkett

Financial guru’s timing was off, but his remedy is right on | Joel Belz

There's a recession coming, they say. You ready to take it on?

I'm always conflicted when the experts start predicting an economic slowdown. What, I wonder, is my own duty? Am I to back off on my personal spending and commitments—which, if everybody did, would only add to the problems already afflicting us? Or do I go out and spend a little extra for a few weeks, patriotically juicing this incredibly complex financial animal they call "the economy"?

I couldn't help thinking about this odd dilemma because of three different beginning-of-the-year reminders:

1. The fourth-quarter reports I'm getting for my modest savings and investments aren't looking so good. Every single one of them indicates a southerly rather than a northerly direction. My friends tell me my experience isn't unusual. Q4 was a downer.