The loneliness epidemic (Men)

 

There has been a lot said about the loneliness epidemic among men and women and now kids, young people. 

The loneliness epidemic is a painful thing to read about or see videos about it.

It reminds me of my childhood youth and teenage years all the way to my almost retirement years.

Im 56 and have been alone all my life.

Its a painful thing to think about. Not having friends or a girlfriend in your adult life is painful and being alone is not something id talk about much.

Even when I was married (Philippines) i was alone but the difference is when your in the Philippines your not really ever alone.

Theres always people in your apartment, theres always people that want to visit with you and talk to you.

I even had returned Filipinos I would have lunch with and talk about there days in Saudi or other places in Asia.

Most of my life I have spent it working and saving so I could live in Latin America or Philippines, sometimes Cambodia. 

I believe ive always dont that because ive never really had friends after my teenage years and no one to hang out with and spend time with.

Sometimes I think thats why so many young men leave the US and Europe to live in there countries. 

As the culture and economy change there are less places for men, and now I think thats just as true with women.

I see the culture change over the decades and people on there phones and how the AI software reprograms your brain to live in the consumer culture and it seems to atomize both men and women to not have friends and now boyfriends or girlfriends.

At least its what I see in North America and now slowly its spreading to the developmenting world.

I believe its leading to loneliness and its partly international so special interests can sell us drug's, porn, sex robots, AI girlfriends, boyfriends at least it seems to be the trend.

So I can see why more people are locating overseas where the cost of living is lower and things are still considered normal. 

I wonder if thats the attraction for expats going to Russia and Eastern Europe. 

I think its the attraction for Paraguay despite whats people say about lower tax, and cost of living. 

Even Mennonites and Amish seem to be relocating to these places to escape all this new AI Technology and escalating regulations and tax.

You see similiar in Europe and the UK.

At least its what I see on YouTube. 

It seems the Western World is getting more lonely and looking for solutions that dont involve drugs, gambling, porn and a consumer mentality to always be spending and in debt.

And ultimately alone and broke.

Thanks for reading. 

The economy slows and the war with Iran drags on.

 

It appears from what President Trump says the war with Iran is over soon, but the people who run Iran seem to think differently.

The oil markets seem to be trending down so there appears to be a disconnect between what traders think and what the Iranian government thinks.

Some of the analysts I follow think the war will continue and the price of oil could stay elevated and may not come down much.

The price of food around the world may stay high and could cause problems in the developed world.

Fertilizers arent abundant right now, so crop yields may come down.  Some crops may not even be planted in many markets.

Of course the Western World will survive and will have to pay elevated prices for awhile. Im guessing the USD may stay strong to, even if theres more money printing.

Gold may be a buy here, its come down quite a bit from its highs.

Silver too, but im less sure.

Shares could stay elevated because of the Technology boom. Still I think interest rates are more likely to go down despite what market participants think right now today.

It wouldn't surprise me if emerging markets continue to sell off this month they rally, maybe the same in Europe, in Europe im more interested in the UK and Poland, Austrian markets ect.

Value shares that pay dividends are interesting too, I think they continue to rally and pay out dividends. 

Small cap in the US but overseas will continue to do well with the help of AI and continued inflation. 

Im not sure about bonds, but emerging markets bonds and high yield bonds may do ok long term.

Theres a few closed end funds at Pimco that buy them and specialize in them and use leverage in their funds that seem to do ok over time.

There yields are 10% to 12% so maybe ok for people who want income.

If interest rates come down there cost of leverage would come down and some of the bonds could rally.

They are good at managing risk so maybe useful for some people. 

Thanks for reading.  Good luck. 

Happy Hunting.

The war in Iran continues (despite Mr. Trumps tweete)

 

The bridge to peace seems as long as ever.

Mr Trump seems to believe peace is near, and the markets continue to rally.

Space X goes public today, so markets are somewhat optimistic about that.

Despite Mr. Trumps tweets, more market participants are waking up to the realization that both the US and Iran probably dont want peace and the longer the straight of Hormuz stays closed the more the US oil and banking interests benefits. 

So Despite the inflation numbers appearing to be cresting more and more people are waking up to an oil crisis. 

Possibly a famine crisis.  Despite that most countries will readjust and survive and be ok, accept the lower income countries. Thats sad but that appears to be the case.

While all this goes on the AI boom continues probably driving down the cost of living for some but at the same time driving up unemployment.

Possibly leading to UBI which may lead to resentment among different people in our society.

My only conclusion is to accept this is an inflationary boom that may collapse then reinflated to pay for the S.S. payments and UBI payments not to mention healthcare.

Although AI will drive down healthcare costs in Western countries, and probably increase most peoples lifespan and quality of life and overtime there prosperity but the road will be bumpy.

It will be interesting to see how it all unfolds and my only answer is to keep saving and buying assets, a little gold and keep some cash, (dry powder)

Good luck.

The inflation rate will tick down in six months.

 The share markets and bond markets, even including commodity markets, continue to price in lower inflation over time.

The current rate of inflation is running over 4% and market participants seem to be pricing in an interest rate hike in a few months. 

Im guessing in six months the inflation prints will be in the 2% range and the market maybe pricing lower interest rates, and probably a weaker USD.

At some time I think there could be a USD crisis but not yet.

The war in Iran maybe winding down and it could be true in Ukraine. 

At least commoditys are trending down today, gold still trading down. Oil maybe getting ready for a fall.

Jobs seem to be harder to get and wages arent really going up. 

It will be interesting to see how AI may unfold in the future.

So far I haven't been able to find a job. It could be my age. 

Jobs in the SW United States arent as abundant as in the Midwest US, and wages much lower.

Thats it for now.

Happy Hunting.

The blood bath continues (share prices crash)

 

Gold prices crash almost 5% today.

Share prices down 2% or more. People sold there Tech alot of commoditys today.

REITS were one asset class up today and yesterday. Bonds were up if they were short dated bonds and of course cash was doing ok too.

It looks like the inflation numbers were expected and people dont believe the Fed will cut rates anytime soon..

I think it maybe sooner than people think and that could hit the USD although not soon.

I think a weak dollar may come next month but not today but who knows...

I believe we will get a brief bond market rally but am not convinced it will last long.

Longer term the government will wont to debase the dollar but I think it will not go smoothly. .

So there will plenty of time to see a strong dollar but im not sure, markets are do volatile now. 

With gold down over 4% it make me think the doller  will rally but it didnt do much today.

The dollar is over bought but for how long I dont know.

In other news.

In other news its getting harder to find a full time job.

Wages arent really going up.

Its getting harder to find a full time job.

The best you can do is when your employed is max out 401K contributions and the same with ROTH contributions. 

And hope you can get enough contributions built up to recieve enough monthly dividend income and bond income to pay the basic bills.

If thats not enough move to S.E. Asia and get a cheap place there and build up an online income to save for emergencies and then to build up dividend income. Assuming theres no exchange controls coming.

Tomorrow is Thursday it will be interesting to see how markets open and if we get another sell off before Friday when we get the SpaceX IPO.

Thankd for reading.

June, 9,2026 Markets sell off

 

Markets rallied on the open this morning but sold off this afternoon. 

More and more shorts are working and it could be time to add to shorts and possibly go long bonds 

Gold continues its sell-off.

The other metals rallied this morning but I was able to short, my order didnt seem to fill.

We are getting closer and closer to a quad 4 where prices decline and cash and bonds are usually the place to be.

It will be interesting if the inflation numbers come out tomorrow on the low side and USD sells off.

Mostly emerging market currencys are selling off, ill be watching the Aussie dollar to see what happens. 

More and more Governments are raising interest rates, possibly scaring investors towards US Dollar assets.

Only time will tell if this rally continues.

Good Luck.

The share markets rally June 9,2026

 

US share markets continue to rally 

The trend in oil and oil shares continue to trend down. 

Same with precious metals. 

I think we get the inflation numbers out tomorrow. I believe they will come out lower than expected. 

I think thats why long duration bonds have been rallying. So if your short take your position size down to its minimum.

I believe the economy is slowing. I think thats why consumer shares are down like restaurants and consumer staples. They may continue to trend down.

The overseas emerging markets like Indonesia, Philippines, India may continue trending down too.

Commodity producers in Australia will probably trend down too, the whole share market could trend down including the Aussie Dollar.

Similar in New Zealand.

.

It seems we are entering a breaf quad 4 where everything trends down accept Utes, US Treasury Bonds ect.

As of now the Tech book continues via chips, AI and related shares.

In other words the inflation scare maybe coming to an end, at least for a month or so.

It will be interesting to see how it all pans out.

This Tech boom will be big I think but am not sure how it pans out.  I hope its deflationary and gives us more liberty and prosperity. 

So far the Tech Bros, as they are refered too, want a new kind of feudalism. A new kind of slavery. 

One version of it is the Hunger Games, another is Sarajevo Safari. 

Its all pretty grim but I prefer to be optimistic, plus I think some of this slavery will be hard to be enforced.

If there is no incentive to produce peopke wont and robots and software cant do everything despite what people say about sex robots ans AI girlfriend s / sex robots. 

Anyways have a great day.

Happy Hunting. 

The share markets roar back!

 

Markets have roared back this Monday morning.  Volatility has plunged and all the usual tech shares have rallies quite a bit this morning. 

We seem to be ending the war in the middle east every week, at least thats what the president says.

Mr Trump is losing credibility every week or day with his tweets on X.

Only time will tell when the big sell off comes, but I think its getting closer.

Bonds seem to be going up and if they go above the trend line it may signal an economic slow down in the economy and slowing inflation. 

We are not there yet but maybe in a few months, time will tell and the markets will signal in advance what will happen. 

It is a bit worrisome the way most politicians are making bad economic decisions and putting our economies at risk but it seems thats what voters want.

So trade/invest what you see not what you want or expect. 

Speaking of gold it keeps selling off, thats another potential signal the economy is slowing,  same with utilities. 

As always thanks for reading,  Good Luck.

The war in Iran continues.

 

The war in Iran continues. Its June 7, Sunday afternoon, 2026.

The futures are down last I looked. I believe gold is down and oil futures are up a little.

I presume the UD Dollar might spike up against the major currencies. 

The seems to be a consensus building that the war will continue and the USD will spike higher and the economy will slow with inflation not going down much.

Id expect US Treasurys to sell off, if they dont and start to rally that maybe a clue inflation has spiked high enough and there maybe a deflation scare which will lead to more money supply increases and inflation and rising asset prices down the road but before that asset prices may decline even commodity prices.

Survival Lily

Survival Lily said in her last podcast, there are more young German men and women settling in Austria and Switzerland. 

She was talking about the German government sending out surveys to young people to fill out and return and if you didnt it could be met with a fine.

She was suggesting more Germans are moving to avoid a potential draft in Germany for the war in Ukraine, many Germans dont want to be used as cannon fodder for the war and get used and thrown away.

It appears the young dont trust the ruling elites or there judgments in this war and not to mention how they are handling the taxes and benefits for society. 

I understand they may or already have raised the retirement age to 70 and thats after paying rising taxes over the years and thats also with more healthcare workers leaving the country,  even Doctors and nurses and other specialists. 

I have even seen documentaries on more homeless people on the streets who are retirees. A sad thing to see.

The trust in Germany and many Western countries is at an all time low and many young people are migrating out of Europe while many third world people are migrating in to replace them despite them being on benefits and not working.

I can see this all over the world but still think the English speaking world, Australia,  New Zealand,  Canada, the USA will do better, despite our problems. 

We still have much lower taxes and regulations and in some cases a desire to turn things around,  im thinking of the UK.

I dont know what will happen but continue to think being diversified and willing to move and follow the trends and to work for yourself will be better than doing nothing.

Its getting harder to find any job to save money to be flexible and have the resources to move and start a business but we will need to do what we can.

Good luck.

Survival Lily, Europe update

 

I just watched the latest update/video on whats going on in Europe.

She highlighted the high rate of tax in Europe, including income tax, sales tax, value added tax ect. Hungary apparently has the highest value added tax when you buy anything, I believe 28% thats pretty high considering peoples salaries are lower their than Western Europe or even North America. 

When you consider all the tax there and the lower standard of living yhere people are moving. 

She even said Austria is receiving a high influx of Germans now, who seem to fit in better than all the Muslims who are their.

Anyways shes pointed that before in the past in her childhood her friends could work most any job and earn enough to buy a house save for a retirement and save enough for the annual vacation, which is not the case now.

Anyway, I understand in many Western countries we are now functioning slaves like back in the good ol days in Europe, and thats why our ancestors left Western Europe and most of Europe even Russia. 

Anyway we can expect more people to move to lower tax jurisdictions and lower cost of living places, like Asia and Latin America, even Eastern Europe. 

Thats it for now. Thanks for reading. 

The world seems to be decentralizing, more and more

 

The more im on social media, the more clues I see that the whole world is decentralizing. 

Im not sure what to make of this trend but short term Im guessing things get more expensive but longer term the cost of living may come down.

I still believe owning assets will be one of the better way to profit from this trend and ultimately survive whatever comes.

I also still think the trend where more people own there own business will continue, weather it is the US and its allies or our perceived enemies 

As sanctions dig in and undermine wealth creation and wealth transfer (exchange controls) this will just excellerate people being more diversified and more independent of government intervention, weather your in China, Russia, the EU or the US.

I bring all this up because I see more people losing there trust in government, here in the USA, the UK and I guess even the EU.

No one trusts government promises in Russia or China.

I see more people are buying gold, not for profit but for keeping wealth out of government hands 

I see more off grid living in North America, Mexico too.

I see more people looking for alternatives to the current high cost of living, including the regulations that are causing high costs and lower quality food, and other products losing their quality from regulations and the bad actors regulations protect from compensation, and recourse when people get hurt by all these regulations but dont make society safer. People are starting to see through these issues and now are taking action. 

I mention off grid living because of the many channels on YouTube showing people how they do it in Mexico, and Thailand just to name a few.

I see it in the Philippines too.

All those countries have the advantage of low cost of living if you have USD income, or Euros, Pounds ect.

Now with all the different payment processors online through apps, it dosnt matter where you live, you can access USD or Euros ect and stable coins even in Russia or China plus the US.

I see more people accessing stable coins on crypto apps both onshore and offshore, and these apps can buy you almost anything from airplane tickets, pay your rent in many countries, all utilities, food at store ect, and in some cases punch in a code at ATM machines and take out cash.

This is not everwhere but is in the Philippines of all places, and as of now no ID required, but for high amounts ID required which isnt difficult if your creative, weather you have ID or not.

Of course this is a cat and mouse game and loopholes get cut off but then new ones appear. 

Its hard to destroy the creativity of man to survive the current slavery we have in some countries. 

The Tech is moving so fast I dont think governments can stop this in most Western countries much less China or Russia or similar countries.

All this is what I call the decentralization of the economy, you can see it in Africa all over the place in Africa to North America, Europe ect.

Im not saying we will see the death of government but we will see less government strangulation of the economy, which may lead to less government effective taxation and less benefits paid out to pensioners and or welfare benefits and housing benefits ect.

The marketplace will fill the gaps like they are now, and with social media spreading this knowledge it will be difficult to stop.

Its similiar with social media spreading the knowledge on how to migrate to the EU, North America ect weather legally or not and all the fraud you see their. Governments so far haven't been effective stopping it.

I can see the lovers of libert doing as their enemies,  not the fraud part but the use of social media and technology to avoid the worse part of regulations and tax ect. And to move to societys where they are accepted and treated well and valued. 

Again I dont see government stopping these trends, even if governments stop internet services like in China or Russia. 

Of course I prefer to be optimistic as apposed to pessimistic but its what I see out there under the current of current events that few people are talking about.

For example theres more news channels starting like Chase Hughes studio.

Theres more financial instruments like ETFs that are trend following strategies and even currency ETFs that trade FX that trade the carry, like hedge funds do or whats banks in Denmark or Switzerland,  Austria do and other countries babks do for wealthy countries.

Simplify does this strategy and many others so its now easier for the average man and women to use these strategies and have less volatility in there lives and more income, giving them more time for there business or jobs and careers.

Everything im talking about is happening at breathtaking speeds, alomg with the wars, depopulation ect but underneath it is where the opportunity is.

Thats it for this post.

Happy Hunting. 

Faith in Twitter man (Mr. Trump) is fading fast.

 

Faith in President Trump is fading fast. At least in the markets today they are in the toilet. 

Mr. Trumps Tweets or X as its called now aren't inspiring confidence. 

He has been tweeting the war in Iran is over and things will go back to normal. 

Well the Nasdaq was down more than 4% today, 6/5/26. S&P 500 was down 2 and a half persent, Russell almost 3 and a half persent and no one cares about the Dow anymore.

Many Tech shares and gold mining shares were down 20% in one trading day.

It appears markets dont believe much of what Mr Trump says much less tweets. Im not sure this is the beginning of a crisis or bear market only time will tell.

What is interesting is more market professionals are believing what many experts are saying and they are now verifying whats being said to what is actually happening and it starting to be seen in market action.

The jobs numbers came out to I believe and the economy is humming along just fine and interest rates will be higher for longer and the dollar took off and gold sold off3 and a third persent. 

A dollar crisis could be brewing I dont know but it wouldn't surprise me.

The people who rule want a strong doller and want more dollar transactions done through stable coins and the US stable coins could be used as a weapon and it would be used as a way to buy US Treasury s to help fund the growing deficit. 

Anyways I dont know how this will play out but think the bull market in assets will continue and we are not yet into a bear market but could be soon.

I still think the Iran war will continue at least for now, only time will tell if assets rally back.

Either way I expect a crisis eventually and then the US will inflate the US money supply more than even now and then we will see how this all ends.

Happy Weekend.  Good Luck.

Markets are still plunging but we maybe turning a corner.

 

I got my latest issue of Lyn Aldons newsletter, the free version and it was pretty interesting. 

It compared the current times, bull market in Technology and Chips and Space to the 1920s bull market. 

We had quite a bull market in the 1920s in a time of little regulation and tax in most  of the world including Europe. 

One of her observations was back then it was difficult to get information and took days to werks for panic to spread even the banking crisis s in Europe took time to spread.

What really impressed me is how much trust there was back then despite the introduction of income tax in the US 1912 I believe and the introduction of the Fed, again 1912.

You could still withdraw gold and silver coins back then in most of the world including Africa, Asia and North America to Europe. 

Of course not now, now its all fiat, except maybe in China. In China you can still get fiat but few people accept it, its all QR codes and apps their for the most part. Although you can still buy gold and USD 100 bills clean and crisp bills no less. 

Lyn talked about the current inflation and wars and more importantly information. You cant really get accurate information online anymore. 

With AI created videos and bots posting fake videos and pictures its hard to detect the truth. Plus they can spoof real people like you or me and make videos of us committing crimes, inflaming people to violence ect.

They can even erase your identity and sieze you bank and brokerage account, like what happened at Fidelity where a woman coulnt sign in to her account and when she called customer service and was helped by a bot or AI they didnt acknowledge her or her account. 

Luckily she called a human and had saved her online statement s to her laptop and proved she had an account there and got things resolved and her money back.

As I understand a computer clich erased her account accidentally or on purpose I dont know but people will learn this can be done and gotten away with in some cases and some countries. 

Owning a few gold coins in your wallet may come in handy one day.

Anyway Lyn had a good letter on how we live in interesting times and how we earn income is changing fast, AI will change everything and probably faster than I think.

What's the answer to all this?

I believe E.B. Tucker is right, one answer is to be in the moment and enjoy life. Some of the most enjoyable things are cheap to free if you live in the Western World.

I think in a low trust society it will be more important to live in smaller cities or towns where you can build up trust in those societies so when things go wrong you can band together and survive the crisis easier. Much like you see in Russia or other similar places.

I think living in smaller states in North America will be better and the smaller towns will do better but it will be similar in places like Saipan, or the Philippines or even Singapore even Sark comes to mind.

I think as things decentralize people will move to rural areas and live in places where government rules and regulations will not really be enforced even taxes to some extent. 

It will be safer in those areas to, the downside is big city life and health care will be less.

As it becomes easier to earn and spend income and have things shipped by drones we will see people live where they are treated best so people will migrate to these places.

It will be difficult to stop the migration and the migration of capital just look at China. 

Of course governments will have currency controls and will try to stop this but they cant stop migration from Africa to Europe or migration from Central America to North America. 

Only time will tell. You already see people leaving the West for Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America. 

I think these trends will continue and thats where I will invest in.

Happy Hunting. 

Gold in a low trust society.

 

There is a chart making the rounds of social media (X) showing how more governments around the world, East and West are selling USD Treasurys and replacing them with gold bullion bars.

The speculation is that the trust in US Treasury bonds, securities is fading fast and our allies and enemies are replacing them with gold bullion bars.

I believe there is a new understanding in market participants and investors that most governments will meet there responsibilitys by printing money and defaulting through currency debasement (inflation) or ouright default.

Our allies and enemies probably dont trust the US policy makers, government decision makers not to sieze their US assets domiciled in the US either.

I believe more North Americans also realize taxes on consumers maynot go up to meet government promices, like Social Security, Medicare, and other promises.

They also realize politicians will not be elected based on cutting these programs back, so now I realize the sacred cows argument. 

It seems most voters vote to steal and when they see no consequences for this they want it more before the whole thing callapses.

I would have thought there would have been an collapse in 2008 but there wasn't.

Thats why I believe so many people who have money and want to preserve there wealth and status keep buying gold.

Im not saying gold will go to 10K or 20K soon, I dont believe that but do think eith all these governments buying gold, that why there really hasnt been more of a sell off in gold prices and that there may not be.

I do believe even if gold doesnt go up much more people will buy it to use as collateral for low cost loans or as a way to store wealth even if it doesn't go up much, although it might go up a lot.

Im more inclined to think silver goes under 60 bucks an ounce and possibly 50 and that's where new buying comes in. It maybe the better speculation in the long run but I dont know. 

I think as trust in government promises goes down you may see more investment in time and money go into starting businesses and in commoditys for all this investment into teck and AI.

The traditional way of earning money will change over time and so will investments, with more people converting capital into personal online investments and offline businesses in commoditys and other things.

Anyway thanks for reading, good luck to all.

Tectonic Traveler/ YouTube Influencer/Guru

 

Tectonic traveler is one of my favorite YouTube influencer, guru channel. 

Go here for his channel https://youtu.be/p4gNnmWJxlM?si=LBW4Ho6rgUV8CnfK 

Anyway, he has one of the better channels that gives you clues on where the world is going.

This channel may not be for everyone. 

He rides his bike all over the west coast mainly the northwest and southwest, including the high Sierras in California. 

He doesnt have a home address or apartment address which seems to annoy people, he sleeps in his tent at campsites or wild camping, sometimes renting hotels or airbnb.com  

He does similar in Colombia and I think a few other countries south of the border.

Hes not retirement age yet, and earns income online from Afsense and book sales, and a few online jobs.

I understand he earns enough to go on bike adventures both inside the US and outside the US.

Hes a good example of more people dropping out of society and living the lives they want or have dreamed of but were scared of society judging them.

Hes one of many men and women who have figured out how to earn money offline and online, live frugally and save to live the way they want without a conventional job. Not to mention telling people who dont approve to go pound sand.

I see more young men and women doing this.

This is probably why the labour participation rate among men and women are going down and with that collected taxes and the earnings companies whish to estract from consumers. 

I dont know what to make of this trend but think its here to stay, especially if AI good and bad takes over.

Living overseas or wild camping will be more common as Americans cant afford escalating rents. Even the high cost of living will decline with current trends in force. 

This will allow more alternative ways to live within North America and overseas, especially in Asia and Latin America, probably Europe too, but there the trends seem to be more entrenched. 

Anyhow he is, Tectonic is a good example how society is advancing despite perceived setbacks we now see.

We will also see alot of YouTube influencers getting banned and demonitized as the current AI slop is discouraged. 

Which could make the world better, or it may not and we will see the world devide into the haves and have-nots which at least in the West is all voluntary. 

Im not sure we wi get the dystopian world like many assume. Or we get what we wish for and the world devide s where some get what they want and others may not through there own choices. 

Thanks for reading.

AI, and how to prepare for it.

 

I listen to a lot of AI content and how it will change the world, both good and bad 

There is still a lot of disagreement on if its good or bad and most of it is basically doom porn to use the slang term of modern day.

Im more in the middle believing it really will create a lot of wealth and prosperity for most people who live through it and survive. 

I believe we consumers and voters, citizens cant really stop it,  no matter if we are in China/Russia or Europe or even North America. 

I believe the powers that be will do this by hook or crook legally even if they need to bribe the voters no matter the cost.

At least us in the West can invest in it or it's proxies and probably do ok.

I just heard the latest money supply numbers and they are up mid single digits across all time frames, about 8% in the US. So with that and other incentives I see tech and AI screaming higher, or at least inching higher with some volatility and pull backs.

Its possible the AI and technology companies will pull away from the traditional companies and really out perform everything else, leaving more unemployment and other dislocations in our old economy but only time will tell.

Basically imjust guessing like everyone else how to prepare for it.

Already im experiencing unemployment like many people.

I see market commentators saying to expect more white collar layoffs. 

If your an older American it doesn't leave you much accept to become a gig worker and become a creater in this new economy, which is the direction im going.

As far as investments, I still believe you can own tech broadly, but event here there will be winners and losers. 

I still think you should have 5% to 7% in gold coins or have the coins stored overseas.

I still think business development companies will do ok, the publicly traded ones that pay growing dividends.

I think infrastructure ETFs will do ok and at least for now grow and pay there dividends out and will profit from there debt structures. 

I believe having more savings in USD will be worthwhile and gold holdings as saving will do well as well as REITS in the US and the world includes Japan, Europe and Canada as well as Australia. 

I believe these investments will be a bridge that pays our retirement and takes us into the new world whatever that is.

As of now I think there will be higher corporate tax in North America. 

Wealth taxes in Europe and rising income/sales tax. I see Europe in decline and more migration out to the new world.

I see a potential enslavement of mankind in many parts of the world, but like in the past many will escape it by bribery and leaving those jurisdictions to the better ones.

It will be hard to enslave and tax people with our new technology but many countries are shutting down social media and the internet like China and Russia is and even the EU and USA but so far haven't really succeeded. Only time will tell how that goes.

Maybe Belarus will be the last man standing as far as an interesting place to bug out too, or maybe Mexico on the Baja.

Time will tell how it pans out but as of now there is to much pessimism and as an contrarian ill bet the other way.

Good Luck,  Happy Hunting. 

More and more loneliness in North America.

 As Im sure most readers know, there is more and more loneliness in North America and Europe even in the developed parts of Asia like Singapore. 

I think its now a consensus view that what people call screen time/phone time is changing our neurology and causing us to be alone on our screens, at work, at home and even in the night life when we are relaxing or on dates, or having dinner with friends.

I notice more people talking about this on social media and getting to the point of leaving social media or hiring people to run there social media so as not to rewire there brains in negative ways.

I think we are becoming atomized as people which separates us from family, friends, neighbors our communities too.

I believe corporate America and government wants this for banal reasons like selling more crap, or more sinister reasons like control us politically.

Id say corporations and governments want to farm us for monitory reasons to get as much loot out of us before we rebel or drop out of society. 

Speaking of dropping out, you are seeing more wealthy people and middle income people, "retiring" from the rat race and living off of dividend income, covered call income and capital gains.

I have seen more videos of Singapore women and Japanese women make videos of themselves doing that in the Philippines or Cambodia instead of continuing there careers. 

I find that interesting.

For decades now ive come across Aussies living on 300 to 500 Aussie dollars a month in the province in the Philippines and now they make videos about it. 

One gentleman I knew started a garden and sold vegetables and plans to local restaurants, he hired a few workers and made more than a grand, lived frugally then saved and got on quite well. That was years ago though. Probably hes now on pension. 

Another example is all the videos of young and older people showing videos of apartments in Cambodia, Thailand for 50 bucks to 150 and up and the swimming pools that go with then.

In Manila in the less famous areas you can get condos for 300 to 400 and spend 1k or less for food utilities ect, if your single and be around people you like and beat loneliness.

My point is the loneliness epidemic is so bad and the cost of living so high which has lead to people living in cars, vans ect. And still spending 1k a month.

As people learn about the low cost of living in Asia, Latin America and other places people will abandon ship.

Which means governments will lose tax which means governments will have to readjust to all this hopefully in good ways and not exchange controls and other tricks to keep the tax cows in.

Now that there are so many ways to consult online and so many countries to live in it will be difficult for governments to stop this.

I have noticed more countries are lowering there barriers to entry to get in. I mean the income requirements are either low to none and getting a legal residency will be easier to get.

Its also getting easier to get around these rules, if your flexible and or get in the right places.

Eastern Europe is one place and a place Im not familiar with. I have seen some videos on it and they seem to be getting Western European people to pull up stakes and leave, especially with the rising wealth tax and income tax and sales tax.

I dont blame them for leaving and going to Russia and the Eastern European countries. 

Then I see it in Thailand and Cambodia. Despite the problem s their people are going there more.

Same in Philippines. 

Thats it for now.

Slowly, then fast, bankruptcy

 

How I went bankrupt, not me but someone famous once said, slowly then fast 

Anyway, I think it was Mark Twain.

Anyway markets seem to be leaning towards getting expensive and overvalued by some analysts.  

Here in the US markets are trending up and have been for awhile. Same in Korea, almost 200% and in Japan too.

The war in Iran hasnt not knocked share markets down if any.

In Indonesia they have been trending down for awhile now, and in India too.

Europe maybe next. 

Treasury bonds in North America and the UK have been trending down and Europe too, I think. So inflation has drivin up interest rates quite a bit but hasnt knocked shore markets over much except Indonesia, Philippines and India. 

I do believe in time some markets and sectors could get knocked down 20%or 30%,  some maybe lower. 

This could cause a deflation scare, and if I had to guess most governments will lower interest rates quite a bit, especially if joblessness shoots up quite a bit.

This will suck if the world economy slows down and government pensions get cut or frozen and inflation is stubbornly high.

As always I dont know the future but will prefer to be open to anything. And a willingness to start an online business and put partial capital into trend following ETFs and or managed future ETFs. 

If gold pulls back I would add some gold, I assume with or without inflation uncertaintcy will go up and more people buy gold coins/bars.

I also assume with all this new technology more people will continue to work online and start online business to keep productive and prosperous and to pass on this knowledge to the younger generation.

Anyways it will be interesting to see how markets react to a peace deal in Iran if that happens. 

I think markets correct then the real damage from the war gets recognized and dealt with and then markets stabilize and then start back up.

Its my belief Governments want us speculating and gambling and paying tax on out gains to keep this rodeo going, thats why I lean to an inflationary ourcome.

Ive come to the conclusion market participants want this to, the average man doesnt want government to cut pensions and benefits so they prefer rising inflation and wages to deflation and thats why both parties vote for it, at least in North America. 

Rather than fight these trends I accept them and plan to start an online business and live wherever I want, probably Philippines, maybe Cambodia and never rule out Mexico. 

The cost of living is low, governments and people their leave you alone, not to mention taxes are low.

I think more people will do this in North America and Europe too.

Good Luck, Happy Hunting. 

Where is the world going?

 

I get asked about where the world is going as far as our economy and culture. 

As the culture declines people as where is this all going. 

If you study history and recent history you can see it gets pretty dark fast.

We have heard about the Epstein files and all the issues with that, and its pretty dark.

Recently I heard a podcast about something that I had forgotten. 

It was about Sarajevo. The war their happened I believe during the second Bill Clinton administration. 

Well now there is a documentary, where novels meet real life.

There are current criminal court cases in Italy I believe about this whole affair.

The documentary is called Sarajevo Safari.  You can google it and watch it, and its pretty dark. 

I remember reading this in the European press but mainly the British press.

What is alleged is wealthy men  I believe were brought in to "hunt" civilians. 

You paid a bounty to the Serbs, to kill children, infants and pretty women. 

It alleged the prettiest girls were hunted and killed for the most money, I heard 20k.

Its pretty depraved that wealthy people paid for these safaris. I suppose when you have that much power and money thats the only way you can get off.

Im not surprised it happened but am surprised its being prosecuted in Italy, thats my understanding. 

People as with women using only fans and how thats spreading to women all over the world, how much worse it can get.

My answer is the wealthy elites will pay to do these things legal or not, and soon it maybe legal and supported by most citizens and voters.

Its all the reason to enjoy life now and not to put off contentment. 

This is also happening in South Africa. Wealthy people like royal family members are being accused of, going to South Africa and going on South African hunts to hunt and kill poachers. 

I had not heard about that but would not be surprised if the rumors of Royal families in Europe doing that. It maybe the only way they can get there rocks off, or maybe they are socio paths. 

I mention all this because as the world gets wealthier and as corruption continues I can see a world where it decentralizes to this and in other areas its sugar and spice and everything nice.

With whats happening with technology in China, North Korea, Russia and now the US you will not even be aware this is even happening because the press is so controlled and propagandist. 

Thats why when people ask how to live I suggest, live well.

If you don't like where things are going retire to a atate or country you enjoy, live off your pensions, dividends, and capital gains.

If you dont have those start a consulting service done online or the phone and live somewhere affordable. 

Things are changing so fast you may not need as much savings as before, and if your curious about the world and like to learn it will be easier to start a business or consulting service and get paid to live anywhere. 

With USD stable coins, or BTC its easier than ever to send money wealth anywhere and pay your bills, especially Russia or the Philippines. 

Same with stable coins, exchange controls will not stop this just slow things down, just look at China.

Anyway good luck.

The Iran war continues, at least for now.

 

The war in Iran, seems to be continuing despite what President Trump says, or even oil futures contracts say.

The Holiday weekend is over, traders are back to their desks and oil futures traders seem to believe peace will bloom in the Middle East and most especially Iran.

I dont know. If I had to guess the war will continue until there is a crisis then someone will have to back down. 

If the Trump White House has to back down they will continue to lose legitimacy among voters and the citizens of the world and the US Empire will continue its perceived decline.

I already see people talking in the media, former intelligence people, talk of how China and Iran maybe gaing legitimately in the world and how that will hurt the interests of the US and our allies. 

The world is changing fast and I still woulnt bet against the US but can see how people will hedge there bets just to make sure they win in the long run.

I dont think Iran can really win at least with there people. More and more will immigrate, come what may.

You see that with North Americans, if they have wealth and skills they are going offshore and earning offshore and its not just for saving taxes.

More and more are leaving for safety reasons, mainly for there kids, and to make sure there kids grow up around people who have a more optimistic view of the future. 

You see the same thing in the UK, and now Germany, among other places too.

I believe eventually the war will be over and more countries will decide if they will aline with the US, China, the EU or Russia, only time will tell.

It would not surprise me if China takes the lead and the US aligns with China and Russia more and more and the EU continues its decline, but I have been wrong before.

I think we may get another opportunity to buy oil shares much cheaper than they are now, and if that happens I will take it. 

Something will get cheaper and then start to trend so get ready.

Good Luck and Happy Hunting. 

2033, THE Social Security cliff.

 

There has been more news articles and YouTube posts on the Social Security cliff thats coming in ten years or less,2033 is the projection year I see.

Thats when only 80% or less of Social Security benefits can be paid out of projected tax revenues. 

The idea is over time the population will decline or the working age population will decline and without immigration there will be fewer tax payors to pay tax for current and future benefits. 

Even if you had immigration it wouldn't really fix this problem because your just poaching workers from other countries and those countries lose workers and tax revenues. 

Having said that there is no incentive for politicians to cut benefits unless there is a crisis and so far there isnt a crisis.  Even Covid didnt appear to create a crisis voters would repond too.

So I would say benefits will be paid, lowered in small amounts until the crisis hits.

That might create a rising price level or inflation that governments wont know how to respond too, but they wont cut benefits until the crisis hits, that maybe a bond crisis, or funding crisis or it maybe a USD crisis Im not sure.

Looking at Japan for what may happen, so far its a Yen crisis just not yet.

The USDJPY rate is at 155 or so, I haven't looked recently. 

So far interest rates in Japan are still under 3% but are inching up, and so far no crisis. 

Interest rates in the US are getting close to 5% but still no crisis.

I dont think the US economy or world economy can sustain double digit interest rates like in the seventies and eighties. 

While I think Social Security will survive, what it pays out will be much less over time and the social contract will be changed, probably by the younger voters.

Even with AI raising the standard of living for most people we will not know till much latter if western countries can not be forced to cut these programs. 

We are starting to see the cracks in Europe so if I had to go by what I see there, there will be cuts and higher inflation and more of a break down in society. 

Japan looks to be different. There seems to be more social cohesion there so maybe there will be less of a breakdown and theres more of an understanding of technology and how it can be used for everyone s benefit too.

China might be another place to look for clues too.

In the US I expect more of a colonial comback, where people work for themselves into retirement and they will work with new technology like the Chinese do.

Im not as pessimistic as some so expect the market will readjust to this new reality with some bumps in the process but dont expect the dystopian nightmare many do.

I think it is possible for a dystopian nightmare but there will be opportunities for people to check out and live in countries where things will be less interesting as the Chinese like to say.

Thanks for reading. 

Markets are closed today,,listening to inflation/deflation debates.

 

Sense markets are closed today, except futures prices, I have been thinking more and more about the inflation/deflation debates, that have been going on in the market places of ideas lately. 

I fall somewhere in the middle, where I think we will have a deflation scare and bonds could go up quite a bit. So far I have been wrong but havent lost much because the credits I own haven't gone down much.

I have been shorting treasury securitys so have made money there, but thats about it.

Ultimately I believe we will see rising inflation to pay for the healthcare needs of retiring Americans and the same for pensions,  both private and public. 

Most pensions are underfunded in the US and most of the Western World. 

Governments will have to compete for saving and capital of the world driving up intrest rates and I believe inflation from these policies. 

Only time will tell.

It seems most market participants believe this will result in deflation or at least disinflation over time and thus inflation wont happen. 

I believe its possible this is an outcome but am starting to lean the other way where most Governments will inflate money supplies to pay for these programs and most voters will support this.

I believe one way to beat this inflation will be to invest in volatility and there will be more ways to do this over time.

I think another way maybe leveraged bonds, or using leverage to buy assets and letting inflation pay the debt or bankruptcy, maybe both.

It would surprise me if there is more fraud and theft involved in this inflationary outcome and maybe tolerated because of politics and no one really wants to raise tax or cut benefits to retirees or anyone else.

Because the rules are changing or not enforced it will be tough to be a successful investor in these times.

I think one way people survive is owning gold, going offshore both with capital and with body. Being in another jurisdiction will be helpful for lower cost of living and protection of assets and body too. Even healthcare will be done more and more offshore. 

I dont have much more to say on this  subject.

Good luck, happy hunting. 

Latest episode with Matt Smith/Dave Callom, Coffee and a mike.

 

The latest episode on Coffee and a mike. 

I enjoy Dave Collum and Matt Smith was really good and has a lot of how I see the world.

They even talked about Chase Hughes, and his comments on whats going on in the world. 

Here it is https://open.spotify.com/episode/1bpZ9Rr5WvL87K1S4ddZUQ?si=UF29_bW3R4q5meL_q9T7hA

I like Spotify,  but its also on YouTube. 

It has many out there views on where this is all going and explains why more men and women are dropping out of society, and leaving the Western World.  Or people are leaving to live on the edges of the Empire. 

Interesting conversation. 

Good luck.

End of the week, thought of the day.

 

End of the week and thought of the day, as the Brit in the Philippines likes to say, a nice chap to say the least.

It seems many people are despondent or the recent elections in the US. It looks like voters are making sure liberty takes a back seat now and for awhile. 

It seems all over the Western World, we have a loss of liberty, safety and much more inflation than what many can accept. 

Theres even a giving up I see in the younger generation, although I see people of all ages migrating to Latin America,  Eastern Europe, even Russia now. 

You also see more migration to the Middle East, and Asia and possibly even China. 

You still see the great unwashed trying to get into America if they can, and its still tolerated by many.

Although I say that there are now many Europeans coming to North America from Europe and the UK.

In other news,  the US share markets continue to make new highs, including the Dow Jones Industrial Averages.

Most people dont talk about the Dow, much less the Dogs of the Dow. 

Now with the forever wars we will need more Industrial bases here in the US which isnt bad but will be different from the past.

I continue to see many expats make dumb decisions in the East, mainly North Americans, which is unfortunate, because its so easy to succeed their, much like our ancestors did in the past.

I also see more YouTube influencers doing well and showing ways to succeed there and how simple it can be and how more young people are figuring this out.

Im not sure what to make of this but governments in the West will have to change and adapt or they will lose there older retirees and the younger generation that needs to take over and make things better.

Im not sure how it will turn out but some countries will will adapt and advance liberty and prosperity others wont and will continue to decline. 

Thats the thought of the day, 

Good Luck,  Happy Hunting. 

AI, UBI, SWFs and the industrial revolution.

 The industrial revolution really shook up the then current society.

The elites of the time, the Counts, Lords, and other Royalty elites of those times would not seen what was coming into the future.

The landed gentry, would not have expected the end of slavery, serfdom, and total changes of how wealth and status would change.

Its similiar with the AI revolution, there maybe great unemployment with AI that could lead to resentment and then high wealth taxes and then UBI.

Which could lead withe wealthy elites moving there capital and themselves offshore, it already has.

Most US tech companies are domiciled in Ireland where they pay little if any tax. If you has tax, they will tax there wealth and leave and give political donations to politicians to be left alone.

You may be able to fund UBI through SWF, or Sovereign Wealth Funds, like what is in Norway, UAE, and other countries. It may make sense for governments to treat information like the way oil is and taxed and put in a SWF and be used for the benefit of society, like education, possibly UBI or other things.

AI will probably change how we are governed. 

If elites can buy there way out of problems like they did pre industrial society we may have to change how we see and practice government.

If elites have first mover status and can suck up wealth before people understand how wealth creation has changed with this new technology, then can buy there way out and bribe politicians to give us UBI where we just spend the income at tech companies then its just a wealth transfer like during covid and could make inflation a bigger problem. 

I think we cant stop AI but could find a better way to tax tech companies for the free to low cost way they capture our data and use it against us and get first mover advantage.

Maybe thats through citizens owning our data and we get paid for it, maybe through UBI. Or other ways.

I want to transition to a society with more liberty and less dependence on UBI or and government hand outs that creates dependency. 

I dont know how it all unfolds but the cat is out of the bag especially in the US, China, probably Russia too.

Id guess the EU will be one of the first big losers but not all Europe. 

Not Switzerland, or Norway and a few other places where tax is low and culture still binds the citizens to continue to cooperate, IE high trust society, maybe Sweden but im not sure and Denmark too, it seems to me to becoming unglued their.

Im even thinking places in the South Pacific will be ok because no one cares about those places except maybe China and the US and to a limited extent Russia. 

In the end I expect this will be a huge wealth transfer to any who understand whats going on and plans for it and takes advantage of it, which unfortunately wony be everyone, especially in the Western middle class.

Good Luck.

Financial fraud is on the rise.

 

Financial fraud seems to be rising at an accelerating pace.

I just had an charge on one of my ATM cards that I rarely use, and the account balance is under 100 bucks.

I have multiple accounts for this vary reason. I can transfer money from my various accounts and use othet ATM accounts to spend or withdraw money if I need to cancel a card and have a new one sent out.

This seems to be happening more. This account is rarely used so I was surprised someone got access to it.

When I called the bank and talked to the fraud department, they told me the charge was made online and an address that wasnt mine was used. So the fraud department canceled the card and allowed me to dispute the charge and wait a few weeks to have the money refunded. 

Im just curious how my account was accessed.  Its not really important though, even if I rarely use it. I just canceled the card and be more aware of how I use all my cards and keep track of charges that dont make sense.

I cant add much accept to say the US Treasury Department has said with AI technology, there is and will be more fraud, and they invited all the high street banks into a discussion on what they plan to do to combat all this.

Im starting to think it may make sense to only buy with credit cards as its easier to dispute charges and get refunds and you seem to get more protection from fraud compared to ATM accounts, although thats changing. 

My other idea is to store some wealth offline in the form of gold and silver coins, and get some anonymous protection from criminals and other enemies. 

It maybe worth while to have and use USD dollar coins, and BTC stored on cold wallets, just to have some privacy and something to fall back on if you need to leave your legal jurisdiction and your banks, brokerages are frozen or just cant access to them for legal reasons.

These things like fraud, getting debanked are happening more and more in the Western World, and some other countries are copying Western World laws and customs,  which is sad.

The loss of liberty in the Western World is sad to see and explains why more and more people are leaving the West to be in lower cost of living places and to store money in banks like Singapore or even Switzerland if you can get an account there, or even the Caribbean. 

Even countries like Georgia are becoming fashionable to access places like Russia if your in the West or your Russian and need to transfer wealth from the West, or your stuck using BTC or USD dollar coins which works too.

Good luck our there.

I found a bike path in Alamogordo, NM.

 

I found a bike path just off Senic Dr. 

Its just off this green water tower, if thats what it is.

This bike path is in Alamogordo, New Mexico. 

It reminds me of the many bike paths in Phoenix, AZ. Mainly im thinking of Peoria, Sun City, AZ and the other county I cant remember. 

Anyways on these bike paths you can ride for miles, go bike camping in many places, and shop at Walmart, the Dollar store and many other places then go wild camping in the desert where few people bother you.

In AZ during covid they even put up bathrooms on the bike paths.

They look the same as this one I found on the bike path here in Alamogordo, NM.

Near this one is a place your car or park if you have one and a few picnic tables to either rest at, cook your food or just rest 

You could camp out there before or after the sun went down or just in the desert where no one could see you.

You could hide your bivvy sack and backpack then ride into town and hang out in the library and charge your phone, use the bathroom and if your disposed ask for help getting food stamps, a shower and place to have ID sent to if it is an issue.

My friend in Guatemala told me thats what he did in California when he was homeless, then just lived in the desert until he left for Guatemala.

This place place, bike path even has a bridge into the local neighborhoods,  its pretty cool.

The whole area is cool and quiet and you can hear the insects at night. 

I bet it would be an interesting way to live for a few months if you had too.

I bring it up because like in Sun City, AZ you see so many homeless people just camping in the desert nowdays,  its sad to see anyone live like this especially older women,  which I saw when I was their riding my bike all over the place including the gold dealer.

Here in Alamogordo I dont think theres any gold dealer to sell you coins to for cash.

Anyhow I thought it was a nice discovery to write about and talk about.

Theres even people in Quartzsite, AZ who camp in the desert ride there bike or electric bike into the local fast food joint and work for three or four months and save up money for there next adventure. 

You could do that here even Sun City, or here and then save money get on a plane use your passport and start again in Cambodia or Philippines. 

Good Luck, Happy Hunting. 

More strategies to protect your wealth.

 

Asset protection is talked about a lot nowadays.

Its usually aimed at wealthy people and usually the strategies are borderline illegal to not practical when it comes to taxes, but it makes the lawyer's wealthy and the clients have a false sense of security.

Usually the lawyer's will suggest LLCs offshore or domestic with trusts thrown in for good measure. 

  Often the trusts dont help and the offshore corporations dont really offer any privacy for North Americans.

Many times clients are surprised theres no privacy and governments can reach out and touch them.

They often pay tens of thousands of dollars if not more and find out they are not complient with reporting requirements and taxes.

Sometimes when they return to the US they are greeted with Treasury officials to IRS officials and detained for hours while they learn of there lawyer's mistakes and how they the client has little recourse. 

Anyhow the easiest of solutions is to just get the assets out of jurisdiction into either a bank account in your name or a gold storage facility where the account may not even be a reportable event. 

Owning real estate isnt a reportable event for most people and at least you can live in it, possibly rent it out for income.

Usually youd want residency so you can easily open bank account manage real estate expenses and taxes through the account.

Not to mention you can live work or play with most residencys, which can come in handy if your home country is suing you or its just unpleasant to live in and do business in.

If you still have a US LLC you can still do business and get credit cards and banking through it and the account would be in a corporate name if thats needed.

If the clients are all Americans easy to comply, if clients are offshore maybe another entity maybe called for. As always get legal help and stay compliant with all tax laws of your home country and residency. 

These are just a few ideas for average North Americans and getting residency isnt as costly as in the past so can be cheaper than offshore trusts and corporations ect.

Its also simplier and easier to manage time wise and money wise. With the exception of lawyer's for residency although not always needed if in Europe or parts of Asia like Japan. 

Theres more to these things and just a few ideas to get out of the trap of North America. 

Happy Hunting. 

How older people protect their bank accounts from medical debts, bank garnishments and other creditors.

 

Nowdays with high hospital bills and no insurance, people end up with massive bills they cant pay. Its now similar with credit card debt 

Many older folks now use debt to there benefit knowing its different for creditors to freeze a bank account or sieze the check.

How they protect themselves isnt really difficult or hard. They use the law to there benefit.

For one thing assets in a 401K are protected by ERISA laws. Even in bankruptcy they cant be taken. Its similiar for ROTH accounts, the money cant be taken in bankruptcy either.

So older folks use those benefits to there benefit by going through bankruptcy or having the creditor writing off the debt. 

In some States the statute of limitations is two years, like Iowa. If after two years a creditor comes after you, you can just take them to court and get damages for whatever injury you endured. 

Of course all States are different and theres exceptions sometimes so you need to do your research.

Another way the creditors can get money is by putting a lien on your bank account. The thing is social security is protected by law and banks know this.

The federal law says you can have up to two months of a government pension check, social security check, and other pension checks like rail rode pensions and State pensions. 

So if you have 1k check you can have 2k protected from seizure. 

Most creditors know this but if they dont the banks do, if there still is a seizure or mistake you can file documents at the court and get your money back, but it takes time.

So its useful to have cash, folding currency hidden away somewhere or an offshore bank properly set up and reported to uncle sam. If its over10k it needs to be reported.

Wealthy people have bank accounts set up abroad to protect themselves from creditors and other bad actors.

Nowdays most offshore banks dont want North Americans as clients because of compliance with uncle sam and if they do the deposits need to be substantial usually 250K or more.

Obviously theres exceptions to this rule if you have a second passport or residency set up somewhere, then its usually a few hundred dollars to set up a local USD account or USD account. 

More and more expats/ retirees are doing this and using credit to there advantage. 

If you need to hide cash from creditors you can always withdraw cash to be under the limit,  or buy gold coins stored onshore or offshore or just in your shoe box. 

Off course if you get into a lawsuit youll have to disclose these things, or lie under court, which I dont recommend or suggest.

What many do if it comes to it is get out of jurisdiction and have a friend or lawyer handle it.

There are law firms who handle debt negotiation for low prices and NGOs to.

They usually specialize in helping elderly clients but also help with medical debts no matter the age.

A lawyer can help you disguise your assets without breaking the law, or get caught up in fraudulent conveyances. 

As always theres more to this but I just wanted to offer a few ideas to help people survive and prosper as the empire declines or maybe its just the beginning. 

We still have a lot of liberties in North America so we are better off than most to survive and prosper come what may.

Good Luck, Happy Hunting.