The Five Stages of Household Resilience

Executive summary

Household resilience matures through five distinct stages, each with different threats, behaviors, and protection needs.

• Stage 1: Survival — month-to-month cash flow
• Stage 2: Stability — emergency fund + core coverage
• Stage 3: Coordination — coverage + savings work together

Key takeaways

• Stage 1: Survival — month-to-month cash flow
• Stage 2: Stability — emergency fund + core coverage
• Stage 3: Coordination — coverage + savings work together
• Stage 4: Depth — multi-line redundancy
• Stage 5: Anti-fragility — household gains from disruption

Key strategies

1. Strategy 1

   Stage 1: Survival — month-to-month cash flow

2. Strategy 2

   Stage 2: Stability — emergency fund + core coverage

3. Strategy 3

   Stage 3: Coordination — coverage + savings work together

4. Strategy 4

   Stage 4: Depth — multi-line redundancy

5. Strategy 5

   Stage 5: Anti-fragility — household gains from disruption

Pro-tips checklist

• Don't skip stages — each builds on the last
• Most households plateau at Stage 3 without explicit planning

FAQ