Recession Prep Scorecard®

Prepare for good times and bad with a tool made for retirees and pre-retirees to assess their financial resilience against future downturns.

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Is Your Retirement Ready for a Recession?

Retirement is in sight, or you have already retired, and you have saved your entire career to enjoy this next phase of your life. Can your investment portfolio handle a recession? Will a downturn force you to alter your lifestyle, and have you considered strategies to minimize your downside risk?

Brown and Company addresses these concerns with our exclusive tool — the Recession Prep Scorecard®. This proprietary tool is designed to assess your situation and provide a personalized score, ranging from 1 to 10, reflecting your readiness for potential market volatility. It provides you with a variety of resources, including behavioral finance coaching so you can avoid mistakes by panic-selling during downturns. We also give you personalized adjustments to your asset allocations based on your individual risk tolerance.

Wondering how your portfolio would fare in a recession? With the Recession Prep Scorecard®, we not only provide you with an answer but also take proactive steps to adjust your portfolio based on your individual score. Your score guides us in tailoring advice to your specific situation, ensuring you’re better equipped to navigate the uncertainties of a potential economic downturn. With our Recession Prep Scorecard®, your prep work is ongoing, with regular score updates recommended as the market or your personal circumstances change.

At Brown and Company, we’re committed to ensuring you know exactly how a recession could impact your retirement. We go beyond awareness — we actively prepare your portfolio to cushion the impact, giving you the confidence to face the future.

How the Recession Prep Scorecard® Works

  1. Dry Powder or Cash Available: We assess the liquidity of your portfolio so you can continue funding your lifestyle without selling investments at a loss during a downturn.
  2. Alternatives/Hedged Investments: We evaluate the diversification and risk management strategies in place. This includes non-correlated assets such as real estate and  alternative investments that can help stabilize your returns.
  3. Cash Flow Needs: Understanding your immediate financial requirements is crucial so you can project how much income is needed from your portfolio vs. outside sources like Social Security.
  4. Comprehensive Balance Sheet: We examine your overall financial health and stability by looking at your liabilities, fixed costs and overall resiliency.
  5. Retirement Shock Absorber®: We consider the protective measures in your financial plan with specialized investment planning tools that help safeguard your lifestyle.
  6. Estimated Income of Portfolio: We evaluate the income-generating potential of your investments, testing how various income sources perform during periods of low growth or high volatility.

Each element receives a score, contributing to your overall readiness for a potential recession. With the results in hand, we collaborate with you to make necessary adjustments, fortifying your portfolio against potential economic challenges.

With Brown, you’re not left in the dark. You know how a recession might impact your retirement, and, more importantly, you have a dedicated partner to help fortify your financial future. With Brown, you know you’re prepared!

View a Sample Recession Prep Scorecard®

Are you curious about how your personal readiness would be scored? Download a sample Recession Prep Scorecard® to see how we evaluate critical portfolio and financial metrics. This can help you better understand where you stand — and what steps you can take today to improve your score.

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Why Recession Preparation Matters for Denver Investors

In a growing economy like Denver’s, the city’s high cost of living and competitive real estate market make it especially important to prepare for potential downturns. Many retirees here have their wealth concentrated in equities, private businesses, or real estate—all of which can be sensitive to market cycles. At Brown and Company, our deep local expertise helps investors and entrepreneurs build resilient strategies tailored to the unique dynamics of the Denver market.

With Brown, You’ll Know!