The stock market is, of course, totally unpredictable. And that can be frustrating. That's why, despite its inherent difficulty, so many people spend so much time trying to make forecasts. Fortunately, there is another way. It turns out that many aspects of personal finance are very much within our control. These include: Your living expenses, especially housing costs The amount you save Whether you carry umbrella and disability insurance What you invest in, and the schedule on which you invest If you have children, how much you pay for their education When you retire, and whether you work part-time in retirement Whether you have protected your assets from elder care expenses When you start collecting Social Security My recommendation: Work on controlling everything that is within your control, and use that to protect yourself from everything that is outside your control.
