By Andy Ives, CFP®, AIF®
IRA Analyst
We have collectively crawled into the hollow of a 2020 tree and found ourselves in the Upside Down. (That is a “Stranger Things” reference, for the uninitiated.) The SECURE Act turned beneficiary options upside down. The CARES Act turned required minimum distribution rules upside down. The election and social unrest turned politics and race relations upside down. And the pandemic is the Demogorgon monster that continues to hunt us all in this upside-down world.
Things may seem bleak, but hope persists. Recognize that there remains a “right side up” – we must simply find the return door and unlock it. This Thanksgiving, whether you are spending time with loved ones virtually or safely in-person, be watchful for the gateway back. We all want to clamber through to the Right Side Up: where teachers and students do their normal school things, where grandparents can again do grandchildren things, where CPAs and financial advisors do tax and financial things, where meetings are face-to-face and handshakes follow.
Of course, the gateway to the Right Side Up is not an actual locked door. Look for acts of kindness, sympathy and respect. Keep your eyes peeled for helping hands, warm smiles and general humanity. Be alert – appreciation and friendship and thoughtful communication point to the way back, as do introspection, patience and compassion.
We all hold the collective key to better things – to the Right Side Up. Over this holiday season, let’s see if we can turn it together.
Happy Thanksgiving from the Ed Slott Team!
https://www.irahelp.com/slottreport/back-right-side
