[mark_l_watson]

I don't know why you were down voted. I gave you a +1 to balance things out.

I also am preparing for a continuing slow burn (i.e., slow and steady downward trajectory in our economy and the world's economy). I would bet that there is less than a 10% chance the there will be a huge crash this particular year.

The thing is, and the reason I basically agree with you, is that preparing for a long slow downward economic trajectory is the same as preparing for a possible crash: maintain your health (physical, mental, spiritual); without going crazy, try to reduce your debt as much as is possible while still caring for our families; when possible spend some non-working time on education to learn new skills.

I think it is important to keep a cool head though - I believe that your last sentence was an overstatement.