Wednesday, June 15, 2022

Advice From Beyond The Grave: The Barton Biggs Survival Plan

By Tim Gamble 

Before his death in 2012, hedge fund manager Barton Biggs - who correctly called the dot-com bubble and crash - began warning his high-wealth clients of a coming "breakdown of the civilized infrastructure," and advising them on how to survive it. I believe we are seeing his prediction come true before our eyes. I think his advise is worth considering in detail, which I do below.

The Intentional Collapse of Civilization

We are currently experiencing the intentional collapse of civilization - supply chain problems, food production problems, the break-down of borders, energy woes, economic woes, massive debt, loss of freedoms, medical tyranny, small businesses being destroyed, parents being told their kids education is none of their business... The list of problems goes on and on. 

The United States now even has an official "Disinformation Governance Board" (sounds like something out of NAZI Germany), working hand-in-hand with the self-appointed Thought Police of Big Tech.

Civilization as we have known it is being intentionally murdered and replaced with a new technocratic surveillance-and-control system in which people are owned by the State, which, in turn, is owned by huge corporations and the ultra-wealthy. (See my article Technocracy, The Power Elite, and the Transformation of Human Civilization, and the article What Is the Great Reset? by Michael Rectenwald, for more on these concepts.) 

Unless you are a member of the ultra-wealthy Elite, and most of us are not, this transformation isn't going to be good for you. So, what do we do? How do we prepare for what is coming? How do we protect ourselves and our families? How do we survive?

Advice From Beyond The Grave

Barton Biggs is dead. But we know a good deal about the advice he was giving to his ultra-wealthy clients before he died. Examining his advise may give us some ideas of how we, even without the massive wealth of his clients, can prepare for what is coming.

Barton Biggs' advice in a nutshell: Make tons of money. Put that money into physical goods. Buy an isolated farm in the mountains. Protect your family against the barbarians.

"Your safe haven must be self-sufficient and capable of growing some kind of food... It should be well-stocked with seed, fertilizer, canned food, wine, medicine, clothes, etc. Think Swiss Family Robinson." -- Barton Biggs

This advice sounds like what some hard-core preppers and survivalists have been saying. Just realize that this isn't advice from some survivalist guru to militia types. Instead, this is advice from a highly respected hedge fund manager and financial insider to his ultra-wealthy clients. 

The Barton Biggs Survival Plan

Here are the main points of Barton Biggs' Survival Plan, along with my commentary:

1- Make tons of money. Biggs first bit of advice to his wealthy clients was to make tons of money now, while the system is still mostly intact. The ultra-wealthy Elites are certainly doing that. Realizing that an economic collapse is inevitable (only the timing is uncertain), they are making as much money as they can right now, often using short term tactics (creating a frothy stock market and multiple other bubbles and collapses in the process) and reinvesting that money into hard assets such as productive land, gold, silver, agricultural and other commodities, as a protection against future collapse.

There are two ways to look at this: 1) the ultra-wealthy Elite are selfish, greedy scumbags who are trying to take advantage of a dire situation to their benefit; or 2) the wealthy elite see what is coming, realize there is nothing that can be done at this point to prevent it, and are simply doing whatever it takes to protect themselves and their families and friends. Greedy, honorable or both - you decide.

So, what is the average Joe and Jane supposed to do with this part of Biggs' advice? Make as much money as you can right now, while you still can, turning that short term cash into the things you and your family will need to survive the coming economic chaos. Buy land. Stockpile food, water, medicine, clothes and other supplies. Learn useful skills of self-sufficiency. 

2- Turn your money into physical goods. The value of the US Dollar (and all fiat currency) is an illusion. And that illusion is collapsing rapidly. Inflation is officially recognized by the government to be 8.6%. The government is lying. John Williams’ Shadow Government Statistics (http://www.shadowstats.com/) puts the real inflation rate at 16.8%  - almost double what the government is admitting. 

ShadowStats CPI Chart as of June 10, 2022 - reprinted with permission.

Your money is rapidly losing value. And there is no reason to believe it will stop losing value anytime soon. In fact, most indicators point to inflation continuing, and even escalating, for the rest of this year and even all of next year. The idea that prices "will go back down soon" is based solely on wishful thinking. 

Biggs' solution is to not hold large amounts of cash. Instead, Biggs told his wealthy clients to turn their excess cash into productive land, food and the means to produce more food, medicine, clothes, and other useful physical goods. 

I would suggest the same strategy for the average Joe and Jane. In fact, stockpiling food, water, cleaning & hygiene supplies, first aid supplies, medicine & medical supplies, flashlights, radios, batteries, tools, guns & ammo, sturdy clothes & shoes, and so forth is already a very popular prepper strategy. 

Remember, we do need some cash on hand to pay our bills, and an emergency fund is always a good idea (how much is an individual choices and depends on your own concerns and circumstances). But holding large amounts of extra cash in the bank or stock market makes little sense given current realities. Turn your dying cash into durable and useful goods while you still can. 

3- Buy an isolated farm in the mountains.  Biggs was driving at two things with this piece of advice: 1) the need for long term self-sufficiency, and 2) escaping the dangers of the civil unrest, crime, and violence that will dramatically increase as civilization collapses. Both are extremely valid reasons to leave the big cities and built-up urban areas before things get really bad.

It doesn't literally have to be an "isolated farm in the mountains," although for some that may be a good option. There are many small towns and rural counties away from the big cities that might make a great refuge to ride out the chaos and turmoil of the next few years. I would suggest living at least an hour's drive away from any city with a population of 100,000 or more, and to avoid coastal areas and deep-blue (leftist controlled) states. But where to live is a topic for its own article.

The average Joe and Jane should make an honest assessment of their current living circumstances, and then make plans based on that assessment. Is where you are living now relatively safe? Is it likely to remain relatively safe during the chaos of a economic and/or political collapse? Does it afford you opportunities for self-reliance? Are you near military targets if war comes? 

4- Protect your family against the barbarians. Biggs recognized that the future was going to be extremely chaotic. Economic and political collapse would be accompanied by massive increases in civil unrest, crime, and violence. Government won't be able (or willing, frankly) to protect you. YOU are now in charge of your own safety and security, and that of your family and friends. This means taking personal responsibility, building self-reliance and self-sufficiency, physically separating from dangers (come out of her my people), and building a community you can trust.  

One of the most difficult realizations for the average Joe and Jane to make is that the government is NOT going to swoop in and save the day. The calvary is NOT on the way. In fact, the government is intentionally making things worse (no border enforcement, no bail requirements for criminals, defunding the police, the politics of division, etc.). The government has become the enemy of the common people. The government cannot be trusted. 

Realize this fact. Accept it. Decide how to react to it. And take action. Build resilience and self-reliance. Don't wait around for things to get better (they won't), or for government or someone else to save the day (help is not on the way). 

Remember what I have long said:  The single most important thing you can do now to survive any future chaos is to start taking responsibility for your own life now.

--------------------

http://amzn.to/2h6IWciAd: Kaito KA500 Emergency Radio. This is an excellent emergency radio, in my opinion: AM / FM / SW / NOAA (weather alert) bands; powered five ways (electrical cord, USB port, AA batteries, solar, and hand-crank); plus flashlight, reading lamp, and cellphone charger. 

--------------------

*** Like this article? Find it useful? Never miss out on future articles by following Dystopian Survival


2 comments:

  1. havent had a day this bad since yesterday.embrace the suck.stay a LRRP stay ALIVE hello my brothers.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Loving Resting Relaxing Partying

    ReplyDelete

Comments are posted without moderation. Use caution when following links, and beware of SPAM and fake links. Please keep discussions civil and on-topic. NOTE: Certain ad-blockers and other security software installed on your browser may block the ability to leave comments on this website. This issue is with that software, not this website.