The Current Situation and What I Am Doing About It (A Continuation of Yesterday's Post)

Yesterday I discussed the current state of the government/economy/etc. It was a fairly pessimistic overview. This is what I am doing personally to face the current situation (note that I am not an expert of the fall of modern civilization and have never lived through the fall of a country, in country, but have witnessed these situations from afar and have had some very enlightening conversations with people who have experienced these situations directly).

• I don't use credit. At all. If I can't pay cash for something I want, I don't buy it.
• I am downsizing my possessions. If I need a boat, I will rent one. Ditto for the multitude of toys and possessions which we hardly ever use and are just collecting dust. We are slowly and steadily selling off these possessions, and only keeping the things that are important and can be used in a SHTF scenario (ie: tools, camping gear, etc). Most everything else can be borrowed or rented.
• I am downsizing my home. My current home is fairly '90s extravagant and not necessary for my current lifestyle (ie: kids have all moved out and we travel regularly). My house is currently for sale (thankfully it has held its value however if I would have sold it a few years ago I would be rolling in money. At least it is worth significantly more than I paid for it many years ago). I am also looking for a small house which will be my US home base. I will pay cash for the new house as well as ensure that it is properly located (a neighborhood that can be useful when TSHTF). It will be located within a reasonable distant of an international airport AND a foreign country (Canada).
• I am diversifying my investments (cash on hand in a number of currencies--the almighty dollar isn't what it once was, some gold, mutual funds not single stocks, some international funds, etc).
• I am diversifying my businesses. I have set up businesses in a few foreign countries where I may or may not relocate to. The businesses are small, simple affairs, run by people I trust (kind of), which will at least give me a small start in these countries should it be necessary. Growing these businesses from a small amount of money with partners does a couple of things--it allows others to make some money from my investments, it gives me a presence in these foreign countries should I need to show up there randomly (or after TSHTF), and if the worst should happen (like fraud, the local bad guys strike, or the businesses fail), I won't have lost much since the investments were small to start with.
• I have bought land in these same countries. Again, nothing substantial, but enough to get me started should I have to move, and a few nice vacation spots should I decide not to move. And if the worst should happen there, I am not out a whole lot of money (these are developing countries--you don't pay a lot for things in these places such as land, businesses, food, hotels, employees, etc--but then again, you don't get a whole lot of assurance and security either. It's a trade off).
• My main businesses are being streamlined and I am in the midst of making them a whole lot more automated. I still enjoy working but being able to work anywhere, anytime, with only a computer and internet connection can be a profitable way to work outside of the US yet still collect funds in US dollars and other (for now) stable currencies.
• I am checking into dual citizenship which I should be able to acquire through the spouse or my grandparents.
• I am continually learning new skills. In the absolute worst situation, if you loose everything--your stuff, your home, and even your country--the people who seek refuge in other countries that have valuable skills, often succeed quickly. These days even in the US, having many marketable skills is a good way to piece together an income in the current economy.
• I put a great deal of effort into developing relationships in my community, my country, and around the world. You never know when you will need these relationships and for the time being, I am happy to help out these people if needed as it develops a particular sense of indebtedness.
• Where ever I go I make an effort to learn at least some of the language. I am surprised at the number of people who come to the US as refugees and NEVER learn English. This keeps them at the bottom of the socio-economic scale forever. Not good. Should I, in a worst case scenario, become a refugee, I want to at least speak the language and understand the culture. And, like I said, EVERY skill you have may come in handy some day.
• I try to keep in good health and good shape. When you loose everything, if you have your health and fitness in tact, you are far ahead of the crowd.
• I keep my vaccinations, passport, ID, and other important things up to date.
• I fly below the radar in most cases. I am fairly well known in my industry but I am not known as the crazy survivalist who scares all of the children in the neighborhood. I want to keep it that way.
• I try to seek changes that I see as necessary within the local, state, and federal government. It's like beating your head against the wall so I have no great illusion that this is a useful way to spend my time.
• I try to live as paranoia-free as possible. Sometimes this is difficult to do when the news is on 24/7 and the world seems to be going to Hell in a hand basket.
• I am not opposed to leaving the US should things become terribly bad. The people I know who were able to return to their home countries after conflict (World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Bosnia, and even Iraq and Afghanistan) are the people who escaped their war-torn countries, relocated to more stable countries where they set up a home base, then were able to return either for vacation or to move back permanently after the conflict was finished.
• I am ready and able to protect myself should the need arise. There is a difference between planning to protect yourself from a localized dangerous situation until you can get out of said situation (ie: seeking a safe haven or heading to another country) and building up a weapons stockpile to take on the government should the need arise. That would be futile and a waste of time/ammo/and body parts.
• In the case of a natural disaster or the like, I fully plan to stay in the US an rebuild. In the event of total societal collapse, I play to move to the place I deem safest then make plans from there.

Well, that's my plan in a nutshell. Most of the time I am busy with my day to day life, happy to be an American, and fortunate to live in one of the best countries in the world. There are times, however, when our government/economy/society seems to be on a quick downward slide and that a response to the situation on my part may become necessary. It is always good to have a Plan B.