Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at regulation, and its costs. Precious Metals: Zimbabwe to sell gold coins amid inflation. o  o  o Saudi Arabia Considers Joining ‘BRICS’ Coalition as They Mull Return to Gold Standard. o  o  o Gold is ‘undeservedly’ cheap relative to equities as inflation sticks around – Felder Report. o  o  o …



Preparedness Notes for Sunday — July 10, 2022

July 10th is the birthday of British novelist John Wyndham. (His full name was John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris, but Harris shortened that to just John Wyndham for his pen name.) He was born in 1903 and died March 11, 1969. Harris was a good friend of fellow novelist Samuel Youd (1922-2012), who wrote under several pen names, including John Christopher. Both men were famous for writing what are often called “cozy catastrophies”. Several of Wyndham’s novels and short stories have been adapted to film, with varying degrees of success. One of the best of these was a parallel …


The Bidenized Silver Market

In this brief essay, I will outline what has happened to the U.S, silver market, since the Bidenistas came to power: A Wacky World, a Wacky Ratio President Joe Biden and his co-conspirators in the U.S. Treasury and in the Federal Reserve banking cartel have embarked on a path of destruction for the U.S. Dollar. By extending artificially-low interest rates, they have propped up equities markets. But currency inflation is now on the march. The markets and general economy have entered a twilight zone of gross monetary and market manipulation and speculative excess. These excesses have also extended into the …


JWR’s Meme Of The Week:

The latest meme created by JWR: To share this, you can find it here: https://www.kapwing.com/videos/62c03dc51fb4c600b95a53a8 Meme Text: Back When I Was a Bartender, a Friend Was Going to Give Me His Old Couch. Then He Told Me It Was Naugahyde. I Had to Say No. I Couldn’t Stop Thinking About Those Poor Little Defenseless Naugas. (Photo of Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.)


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. But …


Preparedness Notes for Saturday — July 9, 2022

On July 9th, 1755: Battle of the Wilderness (also known as the Battle of The Monongahela). — We are in great need of entries for Round 101 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 101 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have an advantage in the judging. — Here is a link to one of my most recent podcast interviews, on Radio …


Editors’ Prepping Progress

To be prepared for a crisis, every Prepper must establish goals and make long-term and short-term plans. In this column, the SurvivalBlog editors review their week’s prep activities and planned prep activities for the coming week. These range from healthcare and gear purchases to gardening, ranch improvements, bug out bag fine-tuning, and food storage. This is something akin to our Retreat Owner Profiles, but written incrementally and in detail, throughout the year.  We always welcome you to share your own successes and wisdom in your e-mailed letters. We post many of those –or excerpts thereof — in this column, in …


The Editors’ Quote of the Day:

“Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left. Yea also, when he that is a fool walketh by the way, his wisdom faileth him, and he saith to every one that he is a fool. If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place; for yielding pacifieth great offences. There is an evil which I have seen under the …


Preparedness Notes for Friday — July 8, 2022

Today marks the birth of actor Kevin Bacon (born 1958.) Preppers usually associate him with the campy movie Tremors. Sadly, his co-star in that film, Fred Ward, recently passed away. — Today, I’m posting an update to a piece that I wrote for SurvivalBlog back in 2005. — We are still seeking entries for Round 101 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. Since there haven’t been many articles submitted thusfar for this round, your chances of winning a prize are higher than usual. More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 101 …


Update: The Big Picture — Grid Up Versus Grid Down–Oil, Soil, and Water

The following is an update to an article that I posted in SurvivalBlog back in September of 2005, shortly after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast: — Before selecting a retreat locale, It is crucial that you decide on your own worst-case scenario. A location that is well-suited to surviving a “slow-slide” grid up scenario (a la the deflationary depression of the 1930s) might not necessarily be well suited to a grid down situations. As stated in my post on August 15, 2005, a grid down situation will likely cause a sudden onset variation of TEOTWAWKI with a concomitant mass …


Economics & Investing For Preppers

Here are the latest news items and commentary on current economics news, market trends, stocks, investing opportunities, and the precious metals markets. We also cover hedges, derivatives, and obscura. Most of these items are from the “tangibles heavy” contrarian perspective of SurvivalBlog’s Founder and Senior Editor, JWR. Today, we look at the BRICS countries’ latest push toward a gold-backed currency. (See the Precious Metals section.) Precious Metals: Putin suggests BRICS looking at new global reserve currency backed by hard assets. Notably, four of the five BRICS countries are major gold producers. (Only India is not in the Top 20 producers …



Preparedness Notes for Thursday — July 7, 2022

July 7th, 1907 was the birthday of science fiction novelist Robert A. Heinlein. He passed away on May 8, 1988, at age 80. — Today, a feature article by SurvivalBlogs Founder and Senior Editor, James Wesley, Rawles (JWR) — We are urgently seeking entries for Round 101 of the SurvivalBlog non-fiction writing contest. More than $725,000 worth of prizes have been awarded since we started running this contest. Round 101 ends on July 31st, so get busy writing and e-mail us your entry. Remember that there is a 1,500-word minimum, and that articles on practical “how-to” skills for survival have …


Neo-Feudalism: Klaus Schwab, the WEF, and The Great Reset

The topic of this essay might seem a bit tangential to normal SurvivalBlog topics, but as I will explain, it falls into the category of “emerging threats.” Men have always sought to dominate and forcefully order the lives of others. This is part of human nature. It dates back to before the days of Noah. Early empires sought power and wealth, by conquest. Monarchies and feudalism dominated the Middle Ages in Europe, South Asia, and East Asia. Then, in a consolidation of monarchist power, colonialism was rampant from the 1550s to the 1950s. Only a few large and economically strong …