Do you feel stressed about money right now? You wouldn’t be the only one. A whopping 90% of Americans worry about their financial situation.
It’s easy to understand why. With threats of a looming recession and lingering inflation woes, you might wonder how well your finances can withstand any more punishment.
A stress test can help you find concrete answers to this question. Better yet, it can lead you to protect your finances from stress.
What is a Financial Stress Test?
A financial stress test is an evaluation method used by financial institutions, investment professionals, and people like you to see how well an individual can withstand unexpected financial events.
For individuals, it’s a way to assess how resilient their household finances are when faced with unexpected expenses or an economic downturn. It highlights how easily you can handle several unexpected expenses, job loss, or a recession.
A financial stress test doesn’t give you a letter grade when you’re done; it’s a pass-or-fail evaluation. Once you perform one, you’ll have a better idea of how well your current budget can handle an economic downturn or financial bad luck.
Why Perform This Stress Test?
Being prepared is a part of being financially secure. The unexpected can rear its ugly head without any warning; just one day, your tire bursts or your dog eats chocolate, and suddenly, you’re on the hook for unforeseen auto and vet bills.
While you may not own a car or a dog, you will run into a similar problem. Eventually, something will go wrong, and it will take money you weren’t expecting to spend to fix it.
A financial stress test can help you see whether you can handle these unexpected expenses before the pressure of a real-life emergency. If you fail this test, you have time to brush up on your finances.
A stress test is also important considering the financial landscape of today. You are experiencing a cost-of-living crisis due to inflation, wage stagnation, and interest rate hikes. Things cost more than ever before, so you may be less prepared than usual to handle anything unexpected.
These economic factors could create a perfect storm. Some economists believe a recession could be on the books for 2024. A recession could significantly impact your ability to earn a living.
The Benefits of Knowing Your Test Results
Testing your finances is only the first step; the next is interpreting your results, so you know how to improve your financial security.
- Finding Weak Spots: The test helps you find problems in your budget. Maybe your emergency fund isn’t as strong as it should be, or you have more debt than you thought. Finding these issues lets you fix them before a financial storm hits.
- Getting Ready for Tough Times: A stress test helps you see if you’re ready for something catastrophic, like a recession. It empowers you to change to your finances so you can prepare for something much bigger than an unexpected car repair.
- Making Smart Choices: With the info from a stress test, you can make informed money decisions. You might need to change your budget, move your investments around, or rethink your money goals. It helps you steer your money in the right direction.
How to Perform a Stress Test?
If the thought of taking a test makes you start to sweat, don’t worry. It’s not that kind of test. You won’t have to fill out a scantron sheet under a ticking clock; you can perform this test anywhere and any time you find convenient. All you have to do is follow the steps below:
Assess Your Career
Look at how steady your income is. Is your job reliable, or does it change a lot? Think about your industry and whether it’s vulnerable to market fluctuations. Your ability to handle financial stress comes down to your income.
Look at Your Emergency Fund
See if your emergency fund is in good shape. Financial experts say having three to six months of living expenses saved is a good idea. You might not need that much depending on your situation, but anything less could leave you vulnerable to emergencies.
It’s not the end of the world if you need to take out a personal loan to handle an unexpected expense. You can easily find out how to choose the right personal loan for your situation. But the best policy is to cover the unexpected with as much of your own money as possible before you borrow.
Think About Your Debts
Limiting how often you borrow money is important because carrying debt limits your financial flexibility. After all, your budget will be tied up with monthly payments for the lifespan of your personal loan. A lot of debt may even interfere with your ability to invest and grow wealth.
Check in with your debt to see how much you owe over all your accounts. A high balance isn’t always a bad thing, depending on the type of loan and its APR. You only have to worry about high-interest debts because they have the potential to grow as you pay them off.
Check Your Investments
If you have investments, see how diverse they are. Think of the old saying: don’t carry all your eggs in one basket. A mix of different investments can shield you from losses that affect a specific industry or asset.
Improve Your Cybersecurity Hygiene
Falling victim to a scam can put your finances through the wringer. Fraudsters can damage your credit, making it harder to borrow in an emergency. They can also steal directly from your bank account, using up cash you need for bills.
Follow these cybersecurity tips to ensure you protect your financial personal information. Any time you share data with a financial institution, confirm it has a privacy policy and appropriate enterprise security.
Imagine Different Money Scenarios
Picture what might happen in different money situations. What if you lost your job? What if prices went up a lot? How would these things affect your budget and savings? Planning for these possibilities helps you get ready.
Check Your Insurance
Look at your insurance coverage. Good insurance can protect you from large emergencies that your emergency fund or a personal loan can’t handle. Make sure you have enough health, life, and property insurance.
Adjust Your Budget
Finally, it’s time to fine-tune your budget. Use what you learned about your finances during this test to make a better budget. Find areas where you can spend less to beef up your emergency fund or pay down a line of credit. Having a simple budget during tough times gives you more money options.
So, How Did You Do?
Did your test reveal you have some work to do? It’s time to make those changes to your budget and start preparing for the future.
Remember, a financial stress test isn’t a one-time thing — it’s something you do regularly. Check your money situation often, especially when money situations change. By doing these steps, you’ll be ready for whatever money challenges come your way, no matter what’s happening with the economy.
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