Do you ever wonder why we wait for a catastrophe to take notice? We make shifts and adjust after the fact, but most times we get warning signs prior to the event. We often times choose to ignore the warning because it isn't really affecting us at the moment. It's only a warning and our cultural make-up loves to gamble. I was just reading that police officers were starting to ticket drivers for only going 5 to 10mph over the speed limit. What?!! We all know that there is a 5-10mph cushion on the speed-limit. Well during tough times and lack of government funds, state and local governments are looking for new ways to generate revenue. Don't say you weren't warned!!

When you look back on any crisis, I sometimes wonder why we are shocked. Let's look at the horrific nature of the September 11, 2001 attacks in New York. Now I'm not sure we could have predicted how terrorists would use our own technology against us, but it wasn't the first time terrorists tried to knock down the Towers. Do you remember 1993 when a car bomb was planted in the parking structure underneath the North Tower? We as a nation ignored the signs, because there wasn't any widespread destruction. Business as usual the next day. How about the housing collapse and credit crunch in 2007-08? We said, "You're crazy Mr. Greenspan and Mr. Bernanke" when they spoke of over exuberance in the late 90's and early 00's, we again ignored the signs. 158 Year old firms like Lehman Brothers are no longer in existence because they ignored the signs as they kept licking their chops with greed.

I learned a powerful lesson back in 2001 to stop i gnoring the signs. The government decided not to issue 30 Year Bonds anymore. 30Year Treasury Bond Futures was my bread and butter and the place where I got my start in the business. I knew this market like the back of my hand because I was basically brought up on it. I was doing quite well in this market, but one day in 2001 some shifts occurred. The U.S. decided to move with the globe and peg the 10Year Note as the new benchmark. This didn't dry up my market right away because there was so much long term debt out there (I don't have to tell you how much our government borrows). I did however choose to ignore the shift. Open interest and volume did begin to flood the 10Year Note and in hindsight, I should have moved to where the money went: the 10Year Note. I could have very easily moved back to the 30Year Bonds when the government decided to issue them again.

I mention all of this because I want to encourage you to be a little more proactive in your life. The signs are there whether you see them, hear them, smell them or taste them. They are there. An example of how I learned to adapt in my business is when our "open outcry" markets started to move to the computer in 2002. This time I didn't ignore the signs. I became one of the first traders to bring my computer in the pit with me. There was some grumblings and mumblings under my colleagues breath at the time, but I knew that this is where the money was going, so I shifted. Electronic trading now controls over 90% of the action.

Steph and I have also adopted Warren Buffett's mantra, "Be Fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful." We bought our first condo in 1997 and sold it in 2001. We bought a home again in late 2001 and sold in 2007. When we moved to California in 2007, we bought a condo in late 2008. We are just marching to the beat of the fear and greed train and enjoying being on the right side.

We know that 40% of Americans are still ignoring the signs of the economy, which basically stripped 50% to 100% of their nest eggs. We also know that the other 60% of Americans have their money stuffed in a mattress and are saying things like, "I never am getting back into the markets again." Of course tucking your dollars in a mattress will not help you achieve the prosperity that you want. A proactive approach would be to take your money back into your hands as opposed to letting other s handle it for you. Our saying goes, "Nobody cares about your money more than you do". Learn how to invest in products that can help you in good times as well as turbulent times. And, really, quit ignoring the warning signs!

Prosperity is at your fingertips!! All you need to do is grab it!!

For more RDS articles on trading, visit www.rdstrader.com.