By Jeff Thomas,
featured writer for Strategic Wealth Preservation, Doug Casey’s International Man and 321gold.com
“The times, they are a-changing,” as Bob Dylan said in a song in 1964, but the changes that he saw back then were nothing in comparison to what we’re witnessing today.
Governments, particularly in the First World countries, are headed in a decidedly totalitarian direction and the frequency and magnitude of the changes being implemented are on the increase.
This development is exacerbated, as the same countries that are leading the charge toward totalitarianism are also the countries that are experiencing the heaviest debt load ever created in history. Technically, they’re all broke, but not yet collapsed, as a collapse only occurs when the populace discovers that the currency is worthless.
But is there hope? Is it possible that governments will turn this around?
I wouldn’t bet on it. The First World governments are a part of a globalist cabal that has agreed to move in unison toward totalitarian rule and the collective behemoth would be highly unlikely to reverse out of its present direction. To do so would destroy their personal hold on power and that’s the one consideration that they would never consider.
The globalist train is now going at a very high speed and the tracks lead to a cliff. The great majority of people in the First World ride on that train and will find that it’s difficult if not impossible to get off.
Those countries that are closely tied to the globalist countries will not be unaffected. The greater their dependence, the greater the damage. Conversely, the less attached a country is to globalist countries, the more likely that the damage will be lessened. These countries will be the ones that have a minimum of trade with globalist countries and operate in a largely separate economic system.
But the most damage will be centered on the First World: the US, UK, EU, Canada, and, to a somewhat lesser extent, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand.
So, should you be worried?
Yes, definitely so. This will be a once-in-a-century cataclysm – the greatest period of change that any of us will experience in our lives.
All of the above implies that what’s coming is an “end of the world” scenario. But this is not so. In actual fact, such collapses have occurred periodically throughout history. What we’re witnessing is a collapse of an empire. Many empires have come and gone and, in each case, all of the events that lead up to a collapse have been essentially the same. In any given era, the technology will change, but the fundamentals are the same: accumulation of power and control of a major portion of the world, abuse of that power, leading to overreach, and eventual collapse of the economic and political system.
This was true for the Roman Empire, Spanish Empire Ottoman Empire, and so on down the line.
Sadly, we’re finding ourselves in the midst of just such a collapse. The major dominoes have not yet begun to fall, but the minor dominoes have been falling for decades – warning signs that a major collapse is coming.
And, as in eras past, the minor dominoes are explained away by the powers that be, treated as hiccups of lesser importance, making it possible to prolong the inevitable, but assuring that the eventuality will be even more catastrophic.
Unfortunately, we’re now well into the pre-collapse pattern and are on the cusp of major events taking place.
Globalist governments are rushing the control systems into place, in an effort to get a firm hold on the populace, so that they’re unable to rebel when the first dominoes fall.
Basic rights must be stripped away. Rights to free expression, rights to religious belief, rights to self-arm, rights to hold cash – all must be diminished dramatically if not removed altogether.
But, above all, people must be taught to obey.
This change in the populace has been superbly achieved through the creation of a false pandemic. Frightened people have surrendered their freedom of choice on a wholesale basis for more than two years and a majority now assume that, if their government tells them to jump, they’re supposed to ask, “How high?”
Of course, there’s a small percentage of the people in each of the above-mentioned countries who saw much of this coming. Most of them will say that it’s looking to become more devastating than they’d imagined, but having insight early on has made them prepare as well as possible.
The first order of business is to relocate – hopefully well away from any city or other population concentration. Even better if it’s rural and they have more control over their power, fuel, and running water.
Better still, if they can exit the First World countries altogether and establish a residence in one of the countries that’s likely to be the least impacted.
Finally, if possible, they should find a way to secure their wealth so that, going forward, they’re minimally affected when fiat currencies collapse, as they most surely will.
Owning real estate in a country that will be less impacted promises to be a good way to hold wealth. Bitcoin may well become the most promising means of holding a currency in which to trade, as long as it’s one greatest drawback of being intangible is not compromised.
And, of course, as readers of this newsletter will know, precious metals possession heads up the list. Metals are arguably less liquid than Bitcoin but more liquid than real estate.
And, for over 5000 years, whenever a collapse of empire has taken place, precious metals have been the most stable asset to own, if you’re hoping to come through the debacle with your skin on.
But this time around, there have been rumblings of governmental regulation of storage facilities, possible laws against the movement of gold, and even confiscation.
So, again, should you be worried?
Unfortunately, this question does not have a simple “yes or no” answer. It can go either way.
If you store your metals in a jurisdiction in the above list, then laws are already in place that, if implemented, would lock you out of access to your metals, make it impossible for you to trade in them, and, ultimately, possibly lose them to confiscation.
So, if you live in a First World country, and/or if you store your metals in a First World country, you’re at the greatest risk.
We’ve entered a highly volatile time. To come through it with as little damage as possible, a mix of precious metals would provide the greatest cushion against adverse economic conditions.
And your metals should be in the safest location possible. Many might seek the strongest vault, but what should be done is to first choose the jurisdiction that’s the least likely to impose restrictions and/or confiscate. Seek out those jurisdictions that are already attuned to accommodating overseas investors well. If they depend upon such investments, they’re the least likely to pass laws that victimize those investors.
Once you’ve chosen a jurisdiction, choose the best storage facility within that jurisdiction.
Then, fasten your seat belt. This will not be a quiet ride. But, throughout history, those who exited a major collapse well have been those who had the foresight to hold those assets that not only retain their purchasing power but increase it, during calamitous times.
Jeff Thomas
International Man and Strategic Wealth Preservation
jeff.thomas1066@gmail.com
This article was originally posted in the Strategic Wealth Preservation Blog and copied here with the permission of the author.