Financial Plan Pro

I don't mean to blog about something so bleak, but I read this article recently and it sums up my sentiments about the current trajectory of the US if we keep up what we're doing: SCARED.

It is quoting a man whom I've had the pleasure to meet personally and I know a little bit about him.  David Walker is the former Comptroller General of the US.  In other words, he's the top accountant in the US.  He conducted audits of the country's financials.  He left his office there a few years back out of a sense of duty and urgency in order to devote himself full-time to spreading the word: the US is headed for big trouble if it doesn't turn things around.  By the way, this really isn't about politics.  The Comptrollers Office is (understandably) required to be non-partisan and the only political appointee is the comptroller himself.  David Walker was appointed by Bill Clinton.

Now, how does that affect you and me?  Well, while our power to change things in Washington really doesn't come but every two years [by the way, let's send them all home this November], we can and should do a lot more for our families.  We can ensure that we don't carry too much, if any, debt ourselves.  What would you do if your taxes increased from an average of 21% to at least 45%?  Could you afford a 24% increase if it happened today?  Me neither.  We should make sure we're prepared in our own houses to weather whatever may come from our nation's capitol.  

We can all do a little better, right?  I think we could all do something right now to right our finances a bit.  I guess the worst thing that could happen if we shore up our own finances in preparation for an incoming storm is that we're left with a lot of extra cash with which to invest and be free!

What do you think?  How can you prepare ... just in case?