As a child growing up in Cape Town, South Africa, and even after arriving in the USA as an 18-year-old in 1978, I often wondered what the world and my life would be like in the far-off year of 2020.  There seemed to be such a magical quality to that number twenty twenty.

Optometrically speaking, 2020 vision means having sharp or clear eye vision. As we know, 2020 vision does not apply to having a clear vision of what will happen in the future.

Predictive Tools

An uncertain and unknowable future can be stressful. Clients want to know whether they will have a secure and sound financial future. To guide them, HK Financial uses financial planning tools including: cash flow projections for lifetime income, Monte Carlo simulations for expected rates of investment returns, etc. These and other reports may give one the impression that we have a clear vision of the future. Vision 2020. But no one can say they accurately know what the future holds.

The further we attempt projections into the future, the less certain we will be. So, having a plan and reviewing it periodically is one way to gain incremental certainty. It also helps to be a realistic optimist.

Realistic Optimism

Maintaining a positive outlook, but within the constraints of the world we know, is one way to cope with change.  Even when our positive outlook is challenged, as realist optimists we can understand that change is inevitable. Current political, economic and environmental uncertainty are just part of the journey.

Looking back – so much has changed in my life and in the world! Much of it good, some of it not so good and a lot of it unanticipated. No doubt the world in 2020 is a whole lot different to the world I was born into 60 years ago. I believe that looking back at our lives and the journey it took to get us to this point in time, is a positive exercise. Nostalgia aside, it allows us to assess our growth and progress in life.

Looking ahead – 2050

2020 is here now… 2050 seems so far away.

Recently, I had a conversation with my 24-year-old son about where we will be and what it will be like in the year 2050 – when he will be 54 and I’ll be 90 (G-d willing). His love of reading science fiction feeds his imagination of what the future might be like. Just as I experienced dreaming of the year twenty twenty, our conversation about twenty fifty soon turned to the reality of today and an appreciation of the moment and our time together.

Expressing gratitude and appreciation for the things that are most meaningful to us – our health, loved ones, spouses, children, grandchildren, extended family, our faith, community and society helps to give meaning to our lives and our continuing journey into the future.