It’s Sunday, and the last week of September. Guess what? You have made it ‘back to school’ albeit online, in-person or a hybrid approach whether you have kids of your own or supported friends and loved ones through it. I’ve also received so many questions about the stock market volatility, which I’ll address in a minute. 

First, I want to acknowledge that it remains a crazy time, and in the craze, I hope you have found ways to ensure that you are mindful of your mental health. If not, keep reading and I’ll share some mental health resources. Without your mental health, I believe that it’s very hard to aspire toward a wealthy life, which encompasses more than the dollars and cents. 

The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic recession have negatively affected many people’s mental health and created new barriers for people already suffering from mental illness and substance use disorders. In this KFF Tracking Poll conducted in mid-July, 53% of adults in the United States reported that their mental health has been negatively impacted due to worry and stress over the coronavirus. The number was 32% in March, and pre-COVID, 20% of Americans reported a mental illness. 

If you’re like me, you might also be stressed and mentally spent from the recent Breonna Taylor verdict and the continuing injustice toward black lives. As such, we need to be mindful not only for ourselves, but those around us. 

So, what can you do specifically? 

In the words of Notorious RBG: 

“Whatever you choose to do, leave tracks. That means don’t do it just for yourself. You will want to leave the world a little better for your having lived.” 

To me in this moment, RBG’s words mean that you should continue to keep reflecting, living, acting in ways that push you forward toward the life you want in the midst of it all.  Here are a few things to consider: 

• Focus on mental health. If you are looking for mental health resources, from mindfulness to helping you deal with the stress of work or parenting, check out this comprehensive list of mental health resources from Cigna, as well as these specific online schooling recommendations from the John Hopkins School of Education that will help your child focus and hopefully reduce their stress.   

• Reduce portfolio volatility by looking for low beta stocks in your portfolios. The stock market has been down the last few weeks. Yes, there are stocks that continue to perform well even when the overall stock market (as measured by the S&P 500 Index or Dow Jones Industrial Average, for example) goes down. Individual stocks that perform in the opposite direction of the market are characterized as having a low beta. One of the best examples of a low, negative beta stock is Zoom, which has made a killing for investors who scooped up the stock in early or late Spring. You might remember that I talked about how much I like Zoom back in April (see blog post here). Well, this article by the Wall Street Journal also provides a look at beta by industry, and how that industry beta moved in the months post the onset of COVID-19 relative to 2019. You may want to consider asking your financial advisor about your beta exposure, as well as consider what other stocks might have low beta characteristics to help insulate your portfolio. One last point I want to leave you with. Some investors (like the ones I worked with at JPMorgan) may characterize low beta stocks as “defensive” stocks - they don’t go up as much as the broad market, but don’t go down as much as the market either.     

• Get ready to pounce on financial opportunity. While it is understandable to let fear and anxiety affect your financial choices, now is the perfect time to actively think about what tangible goals you want to reach - taking up a new money-generating skill, investing in real estate, paying down debts that have been hanging over your head, switching to a more joyful work situation that values you with the dollars that you’re worth. What will you do? 

I hope that you have taken away from today’s post that you must keep living. My own version of “continuing to live” took the form of me getting on a plane last weekend to visit my parents and brother for the first time in 6 months, which is the longest time we’ve been apart from each other - EVER IN LIFE! And, here’s how I looked in order to ensure that I was safe on the plane. I’m waiting for your feedback on my gear - leave a comment below! 

I made the trek to hug especially my mother, a fellow and outspoken Charisse Says member, as she turned 70! I’ll never forget that embrace. Well, I made it back safely, carrying the joy from that weekend with me and leaving some joy with my family as well. 

You too can keep living and utilize those mental health resources! Let’s go.