Poor Man Survival
Self Reliance tools for
independent minded people…
ISSN
2161-5543
A Digest of Urban
Survival Resources
'Too
frail to work, too poor to retire' will become the new normal for many
elderly Americans."
"We
are on the precipice of the greatest retirement crisis in the history of the
world. And that makes perfect sense because, first of all, we have the largest
elderly population in the history of the world.
Just
focusing on the United States: our elderly are woefully unprepared to retire…
And in the decades to come we will witness millions of elderly American's, Baby
Boomers and others, slipping into poverty. 'Too frail to work, too poor to retire' It will
become the new normal for many elderly Americans."
So
warns pension fraud whistleblower Ted Siedle.
Siedle's
firm, Benchmark Financial Services, Inc. has pioneered over $1 trillion in
forensic investigations of the money management industry. He's nationally
recognized as an authority on pensions and investment management matters,
having testified before the Senate Banking Committee regarding fund scandals
and is an expert in various Madoff-related and other litigations.
In
2017, he secured the largest SEC whistleblower award in history of $48 million,
and in 2018, the largest CFTC award in history at $30 million.
Siedel
rings a loud warning bell regarding the solvency of today's public pension
system. Specifically, his investigations show that most of them:
·
Are
much too under-funded to meet their future payout obligations (e.g., Kentucky's
state pension plan is only 12% funded)
·
Are
experiencing annual returns far below the required 7% average the plans assume
in their forecasts
·
Have
oversight boards making portfolio allocation decisions that are staffed by
individuals with zero experience managing financial securities (e.g.,
policemen, kindergarten teachers)
·
Have
little transparency. Many are rarely audited. And many have moved their capital
off-shore without accounting for where it's been moved to.
·
Are
heavily influenced by politics when making portfolio allocations. Pet projects,
such as sports stadiums, get funded to disastrous results while making local
politically-connected 'friends of the pension board' rich
·
Are
paying much higher fees to Wall Street than they used to, whose advisors are
putting them into riskier and poorer-performing vehicles (e.g. hedge funds) in
a desperate reach for yield
Siedel's Top 10 Reasons Why
Stealing From State And Local Public Pensions Is The Perfect Crime is reading certain to give
nightmares to anyone depending on a public pension, or worried about being
forced to bail out failed funds by paying higher taxes in the future:
I think there will be bailouts. The alternative is chaos,
disaster, Armageddon. I mean, it's like when people say we should cut Social
Security benefits. Well, the majority of people that get Social Security live
on nothing but Social Security. If you cut Social Security benefits
people will die. People will get sick. People will not be able to get
healthcare. Elderly people will be thrown out of their homes, their apartments,
whatever
Wall Street will say
"We've got a solution!" They'll offer pension obligation bonds,
whatever. The solution Wall Street offers always is: Pay us more fees. Pay us
to underwrite bonds. There will be many "solutions" offered. Taxing
property owners is always popular as well.
See the interview on
Youtube using this link:
TRANSCRIPT
Chris
Martenson:Pensions:
But,
as bad as the pension nightmare seems on the surface, it's even worse below the
covers. I recently had the chance to hear a true pension expert talk about how
America's pension system is ripe for fraud and abuse and mismanagement.
Baby boomers face retirement crisis — little savings, high
health costs and unrealistic expectations
As for personal savings, I'll make it simple: Most boomers have
not saved nearly enough. In the worst case, it is really bad: 45% of boomers
have zero savings for retirement.
According to the survey, 35% of Millennials who think they're
worse off financially than they had expected to be don't have a savings
account, and 33% of those who do have only $5,000 or less saved.
Retirement savings aren't faring any better for this group. Thirty-seven
percent of millennials don't save for retirement at all, and 30% saves 10% or
less a month, according to the survey.
NOTE:
There’s
a generational breakdown occurring with increasing numbers of young people --
let’s define them as the under-30 crowd -- falling into despair, dismay and
even outright demoralization over the state of the world. Put bluntly,
many of them see nothing to gain by preserving the status quo.
Conversely,
the over 50 crowd has already paid into the system and desperately wants to
preserve the status quo. That’s where their retirement dreams
exist. With their finger now on the brass ring, it’s simply unthinkable
to ponder that it could slip out of their grasp.
This
demographic divide, between those with nothing to gain and those with
everything to lose, grows wider every day.
What are your
thoughts? Feel free to leave a comment
below…
Bruce ‘the Poor Man’
Free enterprise, limited government,
individual freedom!
More Useful Resources!
Some of you might be
thinking, "I'm a prepper, I won't have to scavenge for supplies. I already
have everything I need." Maybe, maybe not. Even if you've been prepping
for years, it's still possible you forgot a few things. But even if you didn't
forget anything, you could still end up in a situation where you need something
you never thought you'd need.
What
if you have to take in a pregnant woman or a parent with a small child? You may
have to go looking for baby formula. What if your mother's prescription
medications are lost or destroyed? You may have to go looking for replacement
meds. What if a crucial piece of gear is damaged? What if you need parts for
your shelter or vehicle? These are just a few possibilities off the top of my
head. There are dozens of situations you won't think of until you're in them.
The
point is, you might have to scavenge for supplies after the shit hits the fan.
If someone's life is on the line, you'll have no choice. But before I explain
how to scavenge, I want to clear up some confusion about the difference between
scavenging and looting...
If you’ve ever been
in a real survival situation, you know how quickly your brain kicks into gear
to create makeshift tools, weapons and other necessities that you don’t have
with you out of whatever materials you can find laying around. Survivals
hacks are these bit of wisdom that real survivors, experimenters, innovators
(and bored out of their mind people) have created over the years. Below are a
few top hacks. Hopefully, you’ll find them useful.
Soda Can Life Hacks
1.
A pop can opener can
be fashioned into a fishing hook.
2.
Fill a soda can with
oil and insert a rolled up paper towel into the opening. Light the paper towel
and enjoy and oil “candle” that will last for hours.
3.
Make a light out of
the Coke can by cutting the side to make a “window” with the flaps that you cut
serving as shutters. Place a candle inside of the can. As the candlelight
reflects, it will be significantly intensified and you will have a relatively
bright lantern.
Duct Tape Life Hacks
1.
Use duct tape to
repair:
1.
Your water bottle
2.
Hydration pack
3.
Backpack
4.
Tent
5.
Clothing
2.
Stick some duct tape
on a lid of a jar that won’t open, leaving a piece loose. Pull on the piece and
twist – the jar will open.
3.
Stick a piece of
duct tape on a deep cut or onto a chunk of flesh that was partially cut off to
seal it when you have no bandaging material. This helps to piece the skin and
flesh together. The downer? You’ll have to keep it there until you can get to a
decent first aid kit (ripping it off is not pleasant.)
4.
Freezing? Wrap duct
tape to seal the gaps between your sleeves and your gloves, as well as between
your boots and your pants to keep the heat from escaping.
5.
Use duct tape as a
brace and as a sling to protect the broken limb until you find more suitable
materials (if you do).
Milk Jugs Life Hacks
1.
Use empty milk jugs
to build a raft.
2.
One milk jug hack I
saw recently relates to making a light. Fill the milk jug with water. Strap a
headlamp onto it with the light facing in. Turn on. You will have a much
brighter light.
Other Cool Survival Hacks
1.
Place any kind of
improvised wick into a jar of Crisco and light it. Now you have a functional
candle that will burn for weeks!
2.
Use any type of
greasy chips (Doritos and Cheetos seem to work wonders) as tinder if there is
none around.
3.
Use a coffee can to
create a portable stove (cut an opening on the side towards the bottom to feed
in branches and other fuel.) It creates a concentrated source of heat to cook
your food.
4.
Apply some baby oil
on the exposed skin to prevent (or at least delay) frostbite if you have to be
out looking for food or supplies in freezing temperatures.
Have you discovered
some hacks of your own? Don’t keep them to yourself! Share them with us.
htSustainable Eating – Food Preservation for the
Modern Worldtps://youtu.be/rL-UV0GvRFo
Help Fallen Officers
Have gift cards to national chain stores that you’re not
going to use? Send them to Concerns of
Police Survivors [COPS] – the nonprofit will use them to assist families of
fallen officers. Note the card balance
and mail to: Concerns of Police Survivors at POB 3199, Camdenton, MO 65020
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.
Ultra Safe Heater
A Safe
Space Heater for Your Home!
What is
the main concern about space heaters today? Safety. The Envi is not like any
other heater you will find on the market. It is safe for the entire family.
With the Envi, you can rest assured that your children and pets are safe and
warm.
·
The
envi is cool to the touch. It reaches only 90 degrees F on the front surface.
·
The
envi has WallSens Technology. It will not heat without being mounted to the
wall.
·
The
envi has a built in Automatic Thermal cutoff. If air from the envi exceeds a
safe temperature, the envi heater will power off.
·
The
envi is wall-mounted. It cannot be knocked over, tipped over, or tripped over.
·
The
envi can be left on 24/7 unattended.
·
The
envi is fanless. It won't catch little fingers or hair.
With thought and foresight, the envi
was born. We have created a safe space heater that
will last for many years and keep you and your family safe.
The Envi is also a healthy space heater that is great for those with asthma or respiratory
problems.
Save
20% by using this link!
You Can’t
Buy Life Insurance After You’re Dead-Prepare NOW for Emergencies. Resources-Solar
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Find
self reliance goods at:
Support
our efforts by shopping my storefront…
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Smoking Frog Feature, Shallow Planet Production
3 comments:
Inflation-caused by the FED & government, especially by the state where I live [MI} continually erodes our purchasing power and they don't give a rat's ass about retirees or anyone on a fixed income or lower income. MI has the highest auto insurance, they tax pensions, and now plan to jack fuel fees thanks to its new Democratic governor who allowed a 2nd rate hike in less than a year on auto insurance premiums without any oversight...something has to give or I'm moving somewhere cheaper!
I've always said government/FED is our number one enemy when it comes to our eroding dollar and I'm from MI too which is among the worst for nickel and diming its citizens with BS and its legislators [regardless of party] for decades on auto insurance, water bills, registration fees, taxes on retirement accounts, etc.-I'd move if it weren't for family...hell, we'd probably blow out all our tires before we'd make it out of the state as this is more like a 3rd world country!
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