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Tuesday, May 30, 2017

Preparing for the Global Financial Contraction


Poor Man Survival

Self Reliance tools for independent minded people…


ISSN 2161-5543

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources
 

 

How Government Robs its Citizens of Freedom & Wealth - Preparing for the Global Financial Contraction

Guest posts from a veteran who owns a business, an investment advisor and a libertarian in response to Memorial Day - there are many who feel they have fought for our freedoms only to see politicians strip them away & who are warning about the pending financial fiasco about to hit.

[Editors Note:  Find several highly useful free reports & resources at the end of today’s post]

Since Americans believe that they live in a free country, their lives are an open book. Everybody and anybody who wants to know can find out all about us. We don't seem to mind until it is too late.

It is time that we stop being so "free" to answer all inquires that come at us. This resolve is especially applicable in matters of disclosure about our personal finances and assets.

What you own is your business except when you tell it, then the world knows.

The world is not nice.

You may not believe it, but others want what you have. Thieves and scalawags don't always break in at night or rob you at gunpoint. The government is the worst of these thieves because they are deceptive and ever greedy.

Be sure that you understand that the government thinks that you and your property are their business. Often those in power think they are entitled to what you have. Bureaucrats don't like the word privacy. Can you guess why? Information on citizens is absolutely essential to governments. The business of government is information on its citizens. Read this over and over. You must understand the implications.

Low profile living should be your rule. You must already know not to drive a Mercedes on a Chevrolet income. The reason is that the IRS sometimes computes a "net worth" assessment of taxes if they think your standard of living (i.e., what you display) is greater than your income.

Don't disclose any more than you need to, ever. All government agencies are tied directly to the IRS through their computer.

Remember that taxes are not for "government revenue" or so that you and everyone "pay their fair share" or any other nonsense designed to obscure the truth. That truth is that the IRS is another enforcement arm of the government designed to reduce the amount of dollars in circulation so that government can continue its deficit spending.

If you think that you are ready for the world of reality, order The Great Money Myth package
by clicking here right now. It explains the conspiracy behind ALL government money printing, finance, taxation... and what the dollars in your pocket are really worth.




SIDEBAR:

Why are so many big names in the financial community warning about an imminent meltdown?  I don’t think that I have seen so many simultaneous warnings about a market crash since just before the great financial crisis of 2008.  And at this point, you would have to be quite blind not to see that stocks are absurdly overvalued and that a correction is going to happen at some point.  And when stocks do start crashing, lots of fingers are going to start pointing at President Trump, but it won’t be his fault.  The Federal Reserve and other central banks are primarily responsible for creating this bubble, and they should definitely get the blame for what is about to happen to global financial markets.

When Altair Asset Management’s chief investment officer Philip Parker was asked if a market crash was coming to Australia, he said that he has “never been more certain of anything in my life”.  In fact, he is so sure that the investments that his hedge fund is managing are going to crash that a decision was made to liquidate the fund “and return ‘hundreds of millions’ of dollars to its clients”



You must also know that although cash is private, the government is trying to do away with cash so that you and your income and spending can be tracked precisely. Credit cards are convenient, and you are offered endless "rewards" to use them, but information about your credit is scattered around the world with total disregard for your privacy. Many people receive several solicitations a week to apply for a new credit card. How do you think the credit card company discovered you might be a good prospect for a new credit card?

Checks are not much better, although there is a loophole I will tell you about in a minute. Always watch carefully as to what you put in writing. You can be hung by the tongue or the pen. On the other hand, insist that everybody else put their "thing" in writing.

When you want to do a transaction and keep it private and out of bank records, consider doing it in cash despite how inconvenient the government wants to make it. Also consider bartering or trade of goods and services, with no record except your handshake. The reason? Governments don't like cash. They are suspicious of cash transactions. Their excuse is the drug trade. What they really want is to control you. So as long as what you are doing is not illegal, you can still do small, private cash transactions and not violate any Treasury reporting rules.

Pay with a check that you received as a paycheck or any other kind of check. In other words, when you get a check from somebody, simply pay it to someone else. Turn it into a third party, negotiable instrument. A check becomes negotiable just like cash when you endorse it. Just write under your endorsement your instructions, such as "pay to xyz." This instrument is a private transaction, as it doesn't go through your bank. It becomes "lost" in the system. This process is legal.

If the amount of the check doesn't match the amount that you want to pay, simply ask them to give you cash or their own check for the difference. This negotiation is called "recycling checks," and it is a form of "private" money. This is also a legal procedure.

You do not have to have cancelled checks for the IRS, or anyone else, although this is what they want. A receipt will do. If they ask, for example, how you paid for a $2,000 overhaul on your automobile, tell them you paid with your endorsed, third-party paycheck, social security check or a loan. Think privacy! Live privacy! 

There are many things you can still do that are legal to avoid compromises of your privacy. If you are not involved in a "tax-deductible" transaction, then what you do is "off the record."

Although the lack of privacy in America is a very scary situation, to say the least, you can do something more about it. There is no such thing as freedom without privacy. There is no such thing as privacy unless you use your freedom to make it happen. Privacy and freedom are inseparable concepts. We live in an information society. It follows that we have no freedom left if we do not restrict, impede and stop creating that information by freely giving out information.

"Our" congress has legislated our privacy away. They have thus legislated our freedom away. If you are to have any privacy, it will be up to you and you alone. Admittedly, being private is not convenient nor easy. [the un-Patriot Act was the single most vile set of un-American laws ever passed against the American people…it is treasonous]!


    • Try your best to keep your records private. If you must show a document to your lawyer or accountant, you go personally with the papers and return with the papers.
    • Stay away from lawyers, accountants, and courts as much as possible. If you can settle out of court, try to do so every time, whether as a plaintiff or defendant. Use private or even public arbitration services and arbitration judges instead.
    • Get prepared forms and do your own legal work. Most lawyers have their secretarys’ fill out these forms anyway and charge for "professional" legal work.

As long as most people don't feel any direct threat, they relax and let the system run their lives. But if something happens, such as a lawsuit or a serious IRS field audit or even a criminal investigation, your life can become a nightmare overnight. In this way, the government destroys people and families one by one, like sitting ducks. It can strip you of everything you have ever worked for and own. It is true that everything that you say or otherwise reveal about yourself can and will be used against you. Learn low profile living!

>>A wise man once told me that the average American only wants life insurance After they’re dead!

From the Bob Livingston Letter
 
 

Part II

 

  •  The repercussions of the Fed's Free Money Machine
  • Why debt-funded state control stagnates productivity
  • The importance of the 8-year cycle
  • What should guide investors' focus and decisions

If you have not yet read Part 1: How Long Can The Great Global Reflation Continue? available free to all readers, please click here to read it first.

In Part 1, we asked these questions: can we just keep doubling and tripling the economy’s debt load every few years? What if household incomes continue declining? Are these trends sustainable?

In the near-term, we asked: is this Great Reflation running out of steam, or is it poised for yet another leg higher? Which is more likely?

Let’s start by looking at the mechanism that funds the government’s deficit spending, i.e. its ability to borrow and spend enormous sums of money year after year.

The Free Money Machine


The state can afford to continue or increase fiscal stimulus (deficit spending) because the central bank (the Federal Reserve) has created what amounts to a free money machine. Here’s how the machine works.

The federal government issues $1 trillion in new bonds to fund another $1 trillion in deficit spending. The central bank (Federal Reserve) creates $1 trillion with a few keystrokes, and buys the $1 trillion in bonds with newly created money.

The Federal Reserve earns interest on the $1 trillion in bonds it now owns, but it returns this income to the Treasury, minus the Federal Reserve’s relatively modest expenses of operation. Let’s say the bonds carry an interest rate of 2.5%.  The government pays the Federal Reserve $25 billion in annual interest, and the Federal Reserve returns $20 billion annually, so the net cost of borrowing and spending $1 trillion is an insignificant $5 billion.

If this isn’t entirely free money, it’s extremely close to free money.

So in ten years, the Federal Reserve owns $10 trillion more in federal bonds (assuming the bonds are long-term and didn’t mature).

It's no wonder that some economist propose...


 

 


Part III

An open letter written by a small business owner

 in the Land of the Free named Don Chernoff.

Chernoff imports and sells luggage, and he pulled no punches in voicing his disgust for the phony support and failed policies that constantly make his life more difficult.

I’ve edited his letter for length below; the full version is available
here.

----

You all love to talk about how much you support small business; the reality is the opposite. The economy is changing rapidly and is vastly different than just a few years ago. Many of the factory jobs in this country have gone and will not return.

Computer technology and automation will soon eliminate thousands more jobs (think truck drivers, taxi drivers, office workers, etc…).

Because there will be fewer middle-class jobs, many people who never considered working for themselves will be forced to become sole proprietors or open a small business. It is therefore critically important that you make it easier for these people to do so.

Right now instead of creating incentives for people to start their own small business, you create nothing but hurdles, allow me to give some examples.

Excessive health care costs


I work for myself and have to pay my own medical expenses. Before the “affordable care act” I was paying about $200 per month for a high deductible policy. It was far from perfect but it got so much worse under the “Affordable” care act.

I now pay over $400 a month, my deductible went from $5,000 to over $6,000 and my out of pocket costs for care have skyrocketed. [ed. Note:  My wife’s Obamacare premiums quadrupled and her deductible is $6,000 but we’ve never heard anything from Democrats offering to help]

At this rate, I will go broke soon, and I am healthier than average. I don’t know how any normal working family or small businessman can possibly afford these rates without going bankrupt.

Income Tax Filing


I have to spend dozens of hours and thousands of dollars for a tax accountant each spring to prepare my taxes because I cannot possibly understand how to do it myself, and I have a master’s degree in engineering.

I also have to remember to pay quarterly estimates, even if my income in not predictable or fluctuates (which it does for most small businesses) or else I get dinged with penalties.

This is a time and cost burden that makes it very hard to run a small business. . . The current tax code is an abomination and should be scrapped.

Excessive import duties

There is a lot of talk lately about a “border adjustment tax” (BAT), a fancy name for an import duty on imported products. I design luggage and I need to contract out the manufacturing to companies that specialize in making luggage. All of these factories just happen to be in Asian countries.

Because of this I am charged almost 18% on my cost of goods for all my imported luggage. Last year these fees came to over $100,000.

The only reason I can see for these fees is government greed.

There is no luggage manufacturing industry in the USA that is being protected. This is another huge burden that makes it difficult to survive in the ultra-competitive luggage business.

Congress and President Obama had a chance remove this burden last summer, and they did what they do best: nothing.

If you do impose a border adjustment tax, will it be on top of the 18% I’m already paying? If so you will put me out of business.

Excessive customs inspection fees for imported products

My company designs luggage that is made in Asia and imported by ship to the USA. It is sold at all Men’s Wearhouse stores and Jos A Bank stores.

A recent shipment was delayed for almost 2 weeks at the port of Los Angeles for extra customs inspections.

The container was first x-rayed, and since that apparently wasn’t good enough, it was then opened and inspected by hand.

There was nothing in the container but the same luggage I’ve been importing for 15 years. I was then charged over $2,000 for this “privilege,” in addition to the 18% import duty I already pay.

This is not the first time I’ve had to pay for extra inspections that were unnecessary.

I understand the need for security but I’m a known importer of the same products for almost 15 years, and this is a terrible cost burden for my small company.

Excessive Social Security burden

Many years ago when I quit a perfectly good job to start my own small business, I was shocked to learn that I had to pay both my share and what had been my employer’s share of Social Security.

If you wanted to create the perfect disincentive to discourage people from taking the leap to start a small business or become self-employed, it would have been difficult to invent a better one.

Capital Gains taxes

So you’ve busted your butt for 20 or 30 years running a small business or sole proprietorship, now you’d like to retire and enjoy life.

Between state, federal and local taxes you’ve probably paid 50% or more of your income in taxes, but that’s not enough for politicians.

If you’ve been lucky enough to have created a business you can sell, now you’ll get to enjoy paying another tax on the capital gain from the sale.

It’s just another penalty imposed on hard-working folks by politicians who don’t think we are paying “our fair share.”

The word “entrepreneur” is endlessly tossed around by politicians who know nothing of how hard it is to be an entrepreneur. You all love to say you encourage entrepreneurship, but the reality is you stand in the way.

Most small businesses either fail or stay small because it is really hard to grow a business, and because of all the burdens you put on
us – the United States has dropped to 13th place in the world in terms of entrepreneurship due to its massive red tape, taxes and other obstacles the government has in place.

 


An important postscript:  Always keep in mind that all socialism involves slavery…

The seeds of the destruction have been sown.

Calamity is overdue.

The Obama administration doubled our national debt in an effort to blunt this cycle’s disastrous blow to our economy.

Donald Trump has been tapped to be our nation’s new leader, but can he help us safely navigate these treacherous waters?


 

On the surface, everything in America seems OK.

But if that’s the case, why are so many wealthy and well-connected people quietly preparing for a collapse of the federal government… and complete social disorder?

The list of folks who’ve established some type of escape plan or “bolt-hole” is startling…

Steve Huffman is the founder and CEO of Reddit… an internet firm worth at least $500 million.

Huffman says he’s getting ready for, “the temporary collapse of our government and structures…” 

 

More Resources:



It’s TIME to take back control of your life,
and the lives of those you love.


You see it at the checkout counter in the supermarket.  You look at groceries on the conveyor and your head says “…about $50 or so.” Then the cashier asks for $85.

You’ll see it in the rising cost of commuting through tolls, taxes, and gas (which is due to skyrocket very soon).

You see it in your children as they are indoctrinated to believe that climate change is the greatest threat to humanity, and socialism is actually OK.

You see it in popular media and culture as the United States, the only hope for liberty on the planet, is diminished, demeaned, and quietly erased from the history books to make room for a new global order.

 

What can you do about it?  Take advantage of my free report and its bonus materials NOW…

How to Survive the War on the Middle Class – FREE!

14 of the best reports I’ve assembled on protecting your freedom…Here is the download link.

http://1drv.ms/1d9kfiU


·         A Cataclysm Awaits Us: Experts Warn Of “Worst Case Scenarios” Unfolding With “Danger Zone” From Summer Through November
Things are aligning socially and politically for what could be a very difficult summer

·         7 Improvised Defense Weapons That Could Save Your Life
The problem is that emergencies are not able to be “compressed” into a format: they arise.

 

Yours for better living,

Bruce, the Poor Man

 

 

A Final Note…

Contributors and subscribers enable the Poor Man Survivor to post 150+ free essays annually. It is for this reason they are Heroes and Heroines of New Media. Without your financial support, the free content would disappear for the simple reason that I cannot keep body and soul together on my meager book sales & ecommerce alone.




Self Defense Training DVDs-New

 

Tactics for Self Defense III Defensive Mental Weapons Tactics DVD NEW


Tactics For Self Defense II (Tactical Edged Weapons I / Tactical Pistol II

Defensive Tactics Techniques Volume 2 Personal Protection Instruction DVD NEW


 

Defensive Tactics Principles Volume 1 Personal Protection Instruction DVD NEW


These items are brand new DVD Defensive Training Technique. Learn from a veteran instructor through this DVD series you will benefit from David's decades of operational and training experience.

$14.95 each- Media mail shipping included.  Find these & other useful items at:


 

Support our efforts by shopping my storefront…


 

 

 

A Smoking Frog Feature, Shallow Planet Production

 

Thursday, May 25, 2017

How You Can Thank a Veteran this Memorial Weekend


 

Poor Man Survival

Self Reliance tools for independent minded people…


ISSN 2161-5543

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

 


How You Can Thank a Veteran this Memorial Weekend

   Memorial Day is meant for honoring our soldiers and military personnel from all of the wars and conflicts that we’ve been involved with… a task I’ve always upheld and one that I’ve frequently highlighted this month by the many charities I feature now and throughout the year.

I’ve been honored in the past for these efforts by the Ohio Veterans Administration, the USO and others for these efforts and today I’m adding several more to that list in hopes that you’ll support them too.  [I still recall the insults that I and my fellow service members endured while in uniform during visits home on leave throughout the Viet Nam conflict. One of my best friends still suffers bouts of depression from his experiences in the Marines –Force Recon/1967].

If you’re planning a Memorial Weekend celebration, think about asking your guests to bring along care packages which can be sent to those currently serving.  You can find lists of goods and how to donate at: OperationGratitude.com and SupportOurTroops.org

You can send cards and mail and thank-you notes to active duty personnel via SoldiersAngels.org

One branch I sometimes over look is our Coast Guard and should you have any gift cards in any amount for national coffee chains such as Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks or Tim Hortons, consider sending them to the USCG who often work long hours and perform a lot of miracles rescuing folks at sea and protecting our coastal areas from drug runners.

Mail the cards to the Coast Guard Foundation, 394 Taugwonk Rd., Stonington, CT 06378-learn more at: CoastGuardFoundation.org

   You might want to remember our soldiers and sailors on Memorial Day at 3pm on the 29th – that’s the National Moment of Remembrance…take one minute to honor the members of the armed forces!

Finally, for years I provided low cost seminars [at area colleges] to returning veterans who wanted to start their own business and you can get a copy of the many materials we used in these programs on a CD-ROM for only $5 ppd.  Typically, I donate 50% of the profits to such charities as Wounded Warriors and the USO.  This year I plan to begin giving money to the OathKeepers organization!  See below to order your copy.

Many people are realizing they aren't guaranteed the luxury of a lifetime job anymore so why rely on one stream of income? Now is the time to consider the possibilities of creating multiple income streams.

 
In the age of digital-everything, there are many new business opportunities, and nearly everyone with the desire can go into business for themselves.

 


Escaping the Rat Race with Your Own Business-CD ROM


 

The Poor Man’s Essential Survival Package

--The Doctors Protocol: Secrets of Survival

--How to Survive the Coming Economic Collapse

--Guide to Self Reliant Living

--Becoming Self Sufficient for Six Months

--How I Found Freedom in an Un-free World

http://1drv.ms/1d9kfiU

 

Self Defense Training DVDs-New

 


Tactics for Self Defense III Defensive Mental Weapons Tactics DVD NEW


Tactics For Self Defense II (Tactical Edged Weapons I / Tactical Pistol II

Defensive Tactics Techniques Volume 2 Personal Protection Instruction DVD NEW


 

Defensive Tactics Principles Volume 1 Personal Protection Instruction DVD NEW


These items are brand new DVD Defensive Training Technique. Learn from a veteran instructor through this DVD series you will benefit from David's decades of operational and training experience.

$14.95 each- Media mail shipping included.  Find these & other useful items at:


 

Yours for better living,

Bruce, the Poor Man

 
A Final Note…

Contributors and subscribers enable the Poor Man Survivor to post 150+ free essays annually. It is for this reason they are Heroes and Heroines of New Media. Without your financial support, the free content would disappear for the simple reason that I cannot keep body and soul together on my meager book sales & ecommerce alone.

Additional Resources





 

 
One of the favorite pinups of our military-an early Marilyn Monroe!
 
 
Support our efforts by shopping my storefront…


 

 

 

A Smoking Frog Feature, Shallow Planet Production

 

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Cutting Debt While Prepping


Poor Man Survival

Self Reliance tools for independent minded people…


ISSN 2161-5543

A Digest of Urban Survival Resources

 


Comment ça marche? Or Why Things Might Not Work Much Longer: How You Can Cut Debt While Prepping

It's a French phrase meaning "How does that work?"

Well, it doesn't really… especially when we're talking about politics or economics. The whole world is a mess... and you know it.

José Ortega y Gasset was from the old school in Europe. Think white suits and fedora hats. Maybe a glass of wine and some fine conversation among the ruins.

In his 1929 work The Revolt of the Masses, Ortega "traces the genesis of the ‘mass-man’ and analyzes his constitution en route to describing the rise to power and action of the masses in society" [from Wikipedia... I'm cheating a little here, but it's still good information for you].

Again from Wiki: “Ortega is throughout quite critical of both the masses and the mass-men of which they are made up, contrasting ‘noble life and common life’ and excoriating the barbarism and primitivism he sees in the mass-man.”

“The Fascist and Syndicalist species,” wrote Ortega, “were characterized by the first appearance of a type of man who 'did not care to give reasons or even to be right, but who was simply resolved to impose his opinions. That was the novelty: the right not to be right, not to be reasonable: ‘the reason of unreason.’"

Or as I see it among Democrats it has become the season of unreason...

Until you win the lottery, here are some items I recommend saving up to purchase [you’ll have to read a bit further]. One day, they just might save you. After all, our nation, our world may be headed for calamity and most either refuse to see it or refuse to prepare for it.  Consider the following:

Regular retailers, who have to staff each store can't possibly compete with Amazon. And the retail industry in America is falling off a cliff…

Credit Suisse says it's possible more than 8,600 brick-and-mortar stores will close their doors in 2017. That’s four times as many as closed last year, and would far surpass the former peak of 6,163 store closings in 2008.

Does this sound normal to you?

Does this sound good for the economy or America?

And here’s the critical question…

What happens when investors realize Amazon isn't ever going to make any real money? What happens when borrowing gets more difficult (and more expensive)?

What will happen when investors realize that Amazon's core competitive advantage is that it will never make a profit?

Of course, Amazon isn't the only company dramatically expanding their business with funny money…

I could show you dozens of companies whose entire business models are predicated on virtually free access to unlimited capital…

  • Revenues at Netflix have soared from $4 billion to nearly $9 billion in three years. Cash flows, however, have gone from a positive number to NEGATIVE $1.5 BILLION. And they’ve borrowed $3 billion to finance this growth… so they’re deep in debt and losing millions per year.

This is what happens when a country’s money has been destroyed, and borrowing unlimited amounts is basically free.

  • Deere &Co. (the farm equipment maker to the world) has seen its share price quadruple since the last financial crisis. But here’s the problem: Deere has taken the central banks' free money and loaned it to customers.

The company now holds $38 billion in loans and leases. Does it sound like a good idea to you that management is betting the company (founded in 1837) on the ability of farmers to repay $38 billion in tractor loans?

Keep in mind, the entire company is only worth $35 billion in the stock market. Does that sound “normal” to you?

The only competitive advantage these companies have is a central bank that's lost its mind, by printing money and manipulating interest rates to artificially low levels for more than 90 straight months…

 


Easy money policies have created an overcapacity in everything from new cars to TV shows… student loans and college degrees… consumer debt and corporate debt… and more.

The real world can only consume so much oil and watch so many TV shows. Consumers can only take on so much debt.

And now… it’s all beginning to fall apart. Capital One, a company that lends billions via credit cards and sub-prime (risky) auto loans, just reported that a critical threshold has been breached… more than 5% of borrowers are not paying back their loans.

The destruction of our money is primarily what’s caused stocks in the U.S. to soar more than 250% since the last crisis.

When savings pays no interest, it turns us all into speculators, chasing returns in the stock market.

All of this low-cost money borrowed from tomorrow simply bids up the price of so many existing assets today. It produces no new “learning” or value (which is what sound money should facilitate) and it leaves us with no way to pay back these debts.

This is why U.S. commercial real estate is up more than 100% since the last crisis. It’s why the average price of a house in San Francisco is now more than 50% higher than it was during peak years of the real estate bubble!

It gets worse: U.S. companies have borrowed more money than at any time in history. According to Moody’s, an all-time record $2 trillion worth of corporate bonds are coming due in the next five years.

Does this sound like things are back to “normal” to you?

Free and easy money has made every spending decision easy for politicians too.

This is why Social Security, Medicare and other entitlement programs are bankrupting our nation… and are completely unsustainable.

As Barron’s concluded earlier this month: “Those who depend on the current system of elder-care entitlements face a potentially hellish future.”

 

U.S. household debt reached $12.7 trillion in the first quarter of 2017, topping the pre-recession level in 2008.

Let’s offer a few cautionary notes when comparing the debt totals. A few important things have happened since we hit the previous record level in 2008:

  • The population has risen.
  • The economy has expanded.
  • The number of households in the U.S. has increased.

The numbers aren’t adjusted for inflation. Greg McBride, CFA, Bankrate’s chief financial analyst, says it’s not an even comparison. “On an apples-to-apples basis, household debt has not exceeded the pre-recession high,” he says.  [However, wages in most industries still haven’t kept pace and prices for health care and tuition, for instance, have continued to rise].

The report notes that 11 percent of student loans haven’t had a payment in three months or more. That understates the real problem. The actual number could be twice as high because the loans are covered by grace periods, or deferments, allowing repayment at a later date.

Student debt is a major concern


At more than $1.3 trillion, student loan debt concerns me the most. The burden is rising as state governments provide less funding to their colleges and universities. Students and their families are paying the difference, often taking on thousands of dollars in debt. Many graduates carrying that debt are delaying other purchases, like homes.

This seems unsustainable, for the nation and for future students. The new figures indicate that student loan debt is rising at an annual rate of $83 billion. When it comes to funding education, the government is letting us down.

If you’re saddled with student loan debt, check out these tips for paying it off .




Now…Things you should be doing to prepare [you’ve been preparing all along, right?]

1) Food Storage: You’re probably thinking, I can build up food storage. That's not expensive. But I'm talking about building an entire year’s worth of food storage, which can be expensive, so I recommend building it up slowly.

Food storage is critical because not only will it save you in a survival situation, but it can also be a relief in times of financial crisis — like a job loss, medical emergency or other unforeseen circumstances that tighten your purse strings.

By accumulating an entire year’s worth of food, you can be confident in your ability to feed your family. Just remember to be mindful of expiration dates and rotate your food storage regularly so it doesn’t spoil.

2) Generator: When it comes to generators, there are a range of different options. For thousands of dollars, you can install a huge generator that will power your entire home. Another (cheaper) option is to buy a portable generator to power just the necessities.

Both choices have their advantages. A generator attached to your home, for example, has more juice to power more items. However, a portable generator can be taken with you in an emergency.

Either way, it’s worth spending the money to buy a quality generator in the event you are without power for an extended time. Personally, I prefer a portable propane generator, but that’s only one alternative. Do some research and find the option that best meets the needs of you and your family.

3) Guns & Ammo: Since I'm a big gun guy, I have more than a few guns in my home that I can use to protect my family. And since you never know how long a crisis situation will last, I have also stockpiled plenty of ammo — I strongly encourage you to do the same.

I recommend having at least 1,000 rounds for each caliber of firearm you own. If you own several guns of the same caliber — 9 mm, for example — you may want to increase your supply to 2,000 rounds. Remember, you may need to use your firearms to hunt as well as defend your family, and a gun without ammo is useless.

The Bottom Line

Of course, the items mentioned above can be purchased on a budget. But the more money you spend on stocking up, the bigger the benefit in the long term.

And while you’re at it, think like Randy Wagner and look for ways you can reduce damage to your home from natural disasters. For example, if you live in a hurricane-prone area, keep sheets of plywood on hand to cover your windows, and make sure your roof is in good shape. Or if you live in an area where earthquakes occur, look for ways to reinforce the structural integrity of your home.

I have always suggested stocking up on silver [more than gold] in the form of “junk” or circulated U.S. silver coins in various denominations along with items that you can use for barter including alcohol, extra ammo, food, medicines, tools, fuel, etc.

If you’re carrying debt, follow these tips to pay it off once and for all. If you have a balance on your credit cards, consider a balance transfer card to consolidate all of your credit debt onto one low-rate card. Consider joining Money Masters, a Facebook group, for personalized advice from Bankrate experts.

For those of you who have the luxury of time, but not the luxury of money to store up emergency food, consider making your own MRE's.

Read
Cari's article here on how she makes her own homemade MRE's .

An important postscript:  Always keep in mind that all socialism involves slavery…

 

More Resources:


Yours for better living,

Bruce, the Poor Man

 

 

A Final Note…

Contributors and subscribers enable the Poor Man Survivor to post 150+ free essays annually. It is for this reason they are Heroes and Heroines of New Media. Without your financial support, the free content would disappear for the simple reason that I cannot keep body and soul together on my meager book sales & ecommerce alone.

Self Defense Training DVDs-New

 


Tactics for Self Defense III Defensive Mental Weapons Tactics DVD NEW


Tactics For Self Defense II (Tactical Edged Weapons I / Tactical Pistol II

Defensive Tactics Techniques Volume 2 Personal Protection Instruction DVD NEW


 

Defensive Tactics Principles Volume 1 Personal Protection Instruction DVD NEW


These items are brand new DVD Defensive Training Technique. Learn from a veteran instructor through this DVD series you will benefit from David's decades of operational and training experience.

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