The Only Certainty Is Uncertainty
One of the three earthly truths I’ve come to accept over a lifetime is this:
The only certainty is uncertainty.
We spend much of our lives trying to eliminate uncertainty. We buy insurance, diversify investments, write wills, save for retirement, and create carefully thought-out financial plans.
Those are all wise decisions. But none of them removes uncertainty. They simply help us prepare for it. Lately, uncertainty has once again become front-page news.
Social Security and an Uncertain Future
For the first time in years, Congress is openly discussing the long-term future of Social Security.
Headlines warn about projected funding shortfalls over the next six or seven years. Ideas are being floated almost daily:
- Raising payroll taxes
- Increasing or eliminating the earnings cap
- Reducing benefits for higher-income retirees
- Adjusting retirement ages
- Countless other proposals
The Number 1 objective of a politician – Getting Reelected!
The truth is, no one knows what Congress will ultimately do. That uncertainty makes many people anxious. My own view is that it is highly unlikely current retirees or those nearing retirement will see meaningful reductions in the benefits they’ve earned. Politically, that would be extraordinarily difficult. More likely, any significant changes will primarily affect younger generations, giving them time to adjust their retirement planning.
But that’s simply an educated opinion—not a certainty. And that’s exactly the point.
Life Has Always Been Uncertain
- Life has always been uncertain.
- The stock market has never been certain.
- Interest rates have never been certain.
- Politics has never been certain.
- Health has never been certain.
- Tomorrow has never been guaranteed.
Yet we continue living, planning, loving, serving, and hoping.
For fifty years I’ve worked with individuals preparing for retirement. Many believed that if they could just accumulate enough money, uncertainty would disappear. It never did and never will!
Financial security certainly provides options and peace of mind, but it cannot eliminate life’s uncertainties. Markets fluctuate. Health changes. Families grow. Priorities shift. The future remains unwritten. That’s one of the greatest lessons of what I call the Back 9 of life.
Lessons From the Back 9
During the Front 9, we spend much of our energy accumulating—education, careers, homes, savings, accomplishments, and possessions. Those things matter. They provide opportunities and responsibilities. But eventually life begins asking different questions.
Not, “How much have you accumulated?”
Instead…
“What will you do with what you’ve been given?”
The uncertainty never disappears. Our perspective simply changes.
Golf offers an interesting analogy. If the weather turns ugly, we can choose not to play that day. Today it will be 102 in Bastrop, I took the day off! We can wait until conditions improve. Life doesn’t offer that option.
There are no rain delays. – No postponements – No days off.
The sand is always flowing through our hourglass. Every sunrise is another opportunity, and every sunset is one day we can never recover.
That realization isn’t meant to create fear.
It’s meant to create perspective.
What We Can Control
- We don’t control tomorrow.
- We don’t control Washington.
- We don’t control the markets.
- We don’t control world events.
But we do control how we respond.
- We control our character.
- We control our preparation.
- We control our generosity.
- We control our faith.
- Most importantly, we control the choices we make today.
Freedom of Choice
As I’ve spent the past year writing Freedom of Choice, I’ve become increasingly convinced that this is life’s greatest gift. While we cannot choose every circumstance that enters our lives, we can always choose our response.
Victor Frankl captured this truth beautifully after surviving the Holocaust:
“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Perhaps that is why uncertainty, while uncomfortable, can also be a gift. It reminds us that our hope was never meant to rest in government programs, investment portfolios, political leaders, or even our own carefully constructed plans. Those things have value, but they are not ultimate. They were never intended to be.
As people of faith, our confidence rests in something far more enduring than predictable circumstances. It rests in the One who already knows tomorrow.
Prepare Wisely, but Keep Living
- So yes, prepare wisely.
- Save diligently.
- Plan carefully.
- Stay informed.
But don’t allow uncertainty to steal today’s joy or tomorrow’s hope.
Because in the end, one earthly truth remains:
The only certainty is uncertainty.
Yet there is another truth that matters even more.
Our response to uncertainty is always our choice.
Closing Thoughts
My book, Freedom of Choice, is now in the hands of the publisher with a projected release in mid-December.
Over the coming months, I’ll begin sharing brief excerpts and lessons from the book in this newsletter—not to promote a book, but to encourage reflection on what I believe are life’s most important questions. My hope is that these thoughts will give you something to ponder as we all continue navigating the uncertainties of life together.
Until next month, have a wonderful month!
David P. Zander
CFP Emeritus Board ™
dzander@back9pro.com
260-615-0078
