As part of its third annual Financial Practice Week, Beyond Finance launched a nationwide initiative to inspire Americans to take ownership of their financial lives through reflection, education, and action.

There’s been a lot of chatter in recent months that a recession could be about to hit the U.S. economy. Experts are divided on whether or not that will happen, but keep in mind, nobody — not even top global economists — can predict a recession with 100% accuracy. Learn More: Salary Needed To Achieve the American Dream in the 50 Largest Cities Check Out: 12 SUVs With the Most Reliable Engines “Believing that one can predict when a recession is going to occur and how that recession will affect one’s finances is fool’s gold,” said Robert R. Johnson, Ph.D., CFA, CAIA, professor of finance at Heider College of Business, Creighton University. Not being able to predict a recession is even more reason you should always be prepared for one, as one can strike seemingly out of nowhere — just look at what happened during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic