Janet Yellen: Trepidation in 2009
on Thursday, March 5, 2015Fed Chair Janet Yellen in 2009 Money Quotation saying she was nervous about seeing guidance from the Federal Reserve team during beginning of economic crisis. Fed Chair Janet Yellen in 2009 said:
“Things are now so bad that I actually open economic projections with greater trepidation than my 401(k)” — Janet Yellen
In this quote, Janet Yellen is expressing how seriously she takes her role in analyzing the economy and projecting its path. She says that when reviewing economic forecasts, she does so with even “greater trepidation” than checking her own 401(k) retirement account balance.
This suggests that as Federal Reserve Chair, she felt an immense sense of responsibility to accurately gauge the economy’s direction. By comparing her concern for economic projections to the worry many feel looking at their retirement savings, Yellen conveys how consequential getting the analysis right was.
Overall, the quote underscores Yellen’s commitment to her position and emphasizes how weighty she viewed assessing the economy’s condition.