Possibly this crisis puts forth us the paramount challenge of protecting subsisting credits to tackle the past as well prepare for the future.

By Sonam Chandwani, Managing Partner at KS Legal & Associates

The relief to retrenchment and layoffs is not much ubiquitous in the Coronavirus saga. With the sudden businesses closure and unemployment in massive numbers, the world counters times like never before. While we spend a disproportionate time anticipating the future, confusion and fear lingers over our present whereabouts. It is more sensible to respond to the clarion call and drop all precarious predictions and worthless grazing of the way forward, and navigate through the tough times and take stake of the situation in time.

While some glorify the work from home culture, some fear the deepest recession while others struggle to drive through the brunt of cut out. The uncertain times have dawned with pay cuts, lower income and a persistent threat over individual finances. Consequently, things like tax payment, loan repayment, mortgage, loses in business have all piled up to leave individuals doomed. Possibly this crisis puts forth us the paramount challenge of protecting subsisting credits to tackle the past as well prepare for the future.

In order to keep steady, the primary approach would be to keep sight on the existing cash. Spending needs to be with caution. While we beat through the present, the future is uncertain. There is no denying that it could worsen subsequently. In order to tide through upcoming times, the pivotal idea would be to conserve. With reduction in discretionary expenses and linchpin on essential spending, enhancing the frugality would be the key to survive until the economy rebounds.

In desperate attempts to glide through the pandemic despite business shutdowns and layoffs, the continuous efforts should be directed to liquidate assets and investments in an orderly fashion. This could enable achievement of urgent short term cash needs to fortify irrecoverable loses. As a matter of prudence, undertaking considerations and implication of taxes and cost of liquidation would lead to better comfiture of money.

The key behind protecting your monetary reserves would be to shun off debts. Avoiding loans against assets may not fetch yields as liquidation could procure. Debts could add on to the persisting miseries and lead to a financial catastrophe. On a similar note, fighting shy of using credit cards and switching to debit cards could also help easing out situations in the long run. Resort to moratorium must unless there is dire liquidity crisis. The deferred interests shall accrue to a larger amount and there remains nothing much at gain.

Owning health and life insurances in such times would also be crucial. Continued coverage is critical for an individual and family. Improving on already existing policy with a mandatory health insurance could help fight credit perils in the worst-case situations. Having a term plan for financial dependents could leave them with sufficient cash reserves post your demise.

Anxiety and fear could trigger prompt decisions adding onto the ongoing loses. Investment in such times hence, needs to be done with a clear mind in line with financial goals. Long-term investments are advisable to tolerate the ongoing volatility and to get back higher returns. Aligning all or existing investment in accordance to such earmarked goals would have an extensive role to bank upon your subsisting money. Gold investments would be a ready preference to counter the crisis cyclically.

Even if the gory economic features have left your financial reserves undisturbed till now, it would be sagacious to start early. There is yet no answer to a possible remedy to Covid-19 and the current situation could drag ahead the next few months. For the sake of floating through even if the situations worsen further, a stich now could help circumvent a dire financial crisis of the future.