With the economy in the tank and the Dow dropping like eyelids at a 30-hour Matlock marathon, we have heard the same advice repeated endlessly – stay the course.  Almost any financial expert will tell you that if you give up on your stocks now, you will lock in your losses and waste the investment that you may have taken years to grow.  “Don’t panic,” they tell us.  It may take some time, but the market will recover – it always does.  Experts agree that the best thing to do now is to continue investing.  If we will consistently invest during times of economic uncertainty we will be thankful later.

 

If only we were as loyal to our personal relationships as we are to our mutual funds.  What happens when relationships take a nosedive of the same magnitude as our current economic crisis? We usually end up selling and locking in our losses.  We stop contributing; thinking that further investment into a failing relationship is a waste of time.

 

Whether your current relationship struggle is with a family member, friend, neighbor, or co-worker, I urge you to stay the course.  If you continue investing during times of relational uncertainty, you will be thankful later.