foresight

foresight. The ability to anticipate and assess future events as well as to strategize to avert future dangers and grasp future opportunities. A person demonstrates foresight by being able to develop successful long-term strategies and by being well prepared for likely contingencies. In a famous fable, an ant shows foresight by storing up food for the winter, whereas an unprepared grasshopper starves to death. Similarly, many people quickly spend whatever money they have and are quite unprepared for a financial crisis.