If there’s one thing most of us don’t need these days, it’s more inflation. Commodities like oil and grains, though they’ve come down recently in July, are still well above what we were paying a year ago. Everything is more expensive these days, and wages are not keeping up. I’m not all doom and gloom, but in an environment like this it’s important to stay prepared.
If you’ve been neglecting your emergency fund, now is the time to get back on it, as you just may need it in the coming months. The financial system is still in disarray, and while I’ve plucked a few value picks out of the mess to try and pick up on a great dividend opportunity (if you think the firm’s dividend is safe), there will be more casualties along the way.
Speaking of buying into a downturn, the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, has actually been picking up banks that have been knocked around with all of the other financials but have safe dividends as well. He recommended Wells Fargo and some others, but keep in mind the stakes are high here. If you pick some of the surviving banks that will make it through this quagmire, there’ll be a lot less competition out there, and there could be some money to be made.