Category: Crypto/DeFi

The Civilization Collapse Stack

The inspiration for this article was ignited by a video from Clif High.  I’ve been following Clif’s work for maybe a year and a half or two years now. He is definitely off the deep end…and I think there is some genius there otherwise I wouldn’t continue to follow him. If nothing else, it is a fascinating perspective.

Anyway, in one of his videos he talked about a “Civilization Collapse Stack.”

This immediately caught my attention, helping weave together what were disparate threads in my mind.

Now there’s a lot in that video that he talks about if you watch it that you might not agree with. Here’s the thing. Regardless of the specific scenarios, I think this is a useful model.

First of all, we are without a doubt going through civilization collapse. Now, this does not necessarily mean the “apocalypse” is upon us, 90% of humanity is going to die, we’re going back to living in caves, etc. It COULD mean that…in time especially with cascading effects. That is absolutely a possibility.

Just because there is an emotional or unthinkability bias against these possibilities that stop most people from seeing them, doesn’t mean it’s not actually there.

Secondly, there is a strong chance of much of the ‘collapsing’ of the collapse being mitigated, thus the collapse is short-lived, or localized, humanity bouncing back. In this sense the collapse might have more to do with institutions and cultural norms, then much of the technological underpinnings of our society. The magnitude of this happening is still HUGE.

If you doubt this…observe the world flip flop from conspiracy theory to leading theory about the origins of the virus…and people begin to see the financial ties of individuals involved.

Witness the inventor of mRNA vaccines basically saying whoops, we messed up and “normie” pro-vax scientists having to wrestle with how our institutions are allowing this to happen.

Of course the damage control spinners are working overtime! Interesting times nonetheless…

Still, since we’re talking civilization collapse, for some background it can be worth studying the collapse of the Roman Empire, the Mayans, and many others that have come before. There are strong parallels available.

So what is this Civilization Collapse Stack?

This is a way of thinking through the possibilities of how this can play out.

If it gets really, really, really bad (aka Mad Max world as Clif High mentions) then we’re all the way down to the bottom of the stack.

If it’s not that bad, we’re at the top of the stack, not even collapsing just stepping into the future from here.

How far we go down the stack remains to be seen, but by being aware you can be better prepared.

And this doesn’t just have to do with survival but thriving which basically leads us into investments, along with adaptability.

So let’s dive into his stack and I’ll riff on it.

PB/Food/Mobility

Have you seen Mad Max? That’s a description of the worst things could go in. The Walking Dead minus the zombies is a likely more accurate description that gets rid of the flamboyancy of Mad Max.

PB stands for lead, aka ammo and guns. Food is a descriptor of not just food, but water and everything else you need to survive. Mobility is being able to move as that could be the difference between life and death.

An important aspect of these assets are not just that you need them to survive but they are good for barter. That you can trade any of these goods for other things you need is important in this world where any and all currency might not be worth anything. (I’m reminded of the image of people burning cash in the Weimar republic in order to stay warm.)

RE – Subsistence

RE stands for real estate. Perhaps more importantly here, can you live off your land? Grow your own food? (Can you defend it…to go back a level?) Depending on how difficult things are and for how long the ability to meet your survival based on where you’re at could be especially useful.

Note that this contrasts with mobility. Best bet would be to have a self-sustaining place as well as mobility.

Real estate also acts as a worthy investment. Right now, with asset inflation real estate is going up, up, up. There is not likely to be a change in that anytime soon unless civilization collapses down the stack. In that sense with a good home you can be set either way.

AU/AG

Those are the chemical symbols for gold and silver. Precious metals have always held value throughout almost all human civilization. This trend could stop at some point but is not likely. I like to call this the “old money” play.

If the US dollar goes into hyperinflation and becomes worthless this would be a rock-solid hedge against that.

The interesting thing going on with these is that even though ALL other assets are seeing inflation, it has not happened in precious metals. Why? There is significant evidence of the manipulation of these markets. They likely will have their time to shine in the sun again but can’t say for sure when that will happen.

Having some of these on hand in small denominations allows for trading in any world that isn’t solely about short-term survival.

Physical Cash

The interesting thing about the US dollar is that most of it is already digital. Nothing more than bits on computers. There is a case to be made that actual physical cash could be more valuable than the digital version. The fact that cash is not tracked like everything soon will be makes a case for this.

At the very least it is useful to have cash on hand for any variety of short-term emergency situations.

Cryptos

We’re going through the Great Reset, an economic transition. As I’ve talked about before that appears to be coming one way or another. Now we may go down the civilization collapse stack before that fully happens. Or it could be a more seamless transition depending.

Cryptos obviously have no use in a Mad Max world. But they are a worthy investment in many versions of “Future World.”

(I’m currently accepting a handful of new clients for my Crypto Crash Course Coaching.)

Digital Yuan/Dollar (System Money)

These are the central bankers rolling out their versions of centralized, more highly controlled, technocratic cryptocurrencies. The technical name is CBDC’s, central banker digital currencies. China is already experimenting with their version. The Fed is soon to release prototypes of its Digital Dollar.

The goal is to not go through civilization collapse but steer us into this system in the making. And it’s not just these but there’s reason to believe the powers-that-be are behind some of the popular crypto technologies today.

What most of the powers-that-be seem to want is a near seamless step into this control grid world.

Though an argument can be made that much needs to collapse before the world (like the freer parts of the USA) are ready to go there. If that’s the case then collapsing is desired and may receive “assistance.”

My Version of the Civilization Collapse Stack

I see this a bit differently than Clif. I see these two top parts of the stack more or less as split pathways. (Not that it’s all or nothing as these could fight it out for some time.)

Here’s my drawing.

A key point is that there is what we may call “normality” the pre-pandemic world. So here you see a splitting of the possible futures.

Look, I think the US dollar is doomed as the national reserve currency. It may be re-born as the digital dollar. Something else could take it’s place. But it’s chances of remaining long term the world’s reserve currency are doubtful, based off of very solid historical trends and the facts that show up today.

I highly doubt we step seamlessly in the future from this point. Instead, it’s a matter of how far down the collapse stack we end up going. If we collapse hard down the stack, then currency isn’t so much a concern.

If we don’t collapse as hard, or we do but go through a “Great Rebuild,” it is a cryptocurrency future in one form or another. That’s the way I see it.

Collapse – A Phenomenon Spanning Time and Location

Yes, we’re a globalized world right now. That is the main thing, with all it entails, that makes our current position different than the Roman Empire collapsing.

That adds so much complexity that predicting things is tough to do. That’s why this principle-based look at civilization collapse is useful. It simplifies the complexity.

And one of the most useful things to know about civilization collapse is that that doesn’t happen all at once.

Civilization collapse is not an overnight thing. In fact, it could take more than my lifetime! But a fair guess is that the rest of the 2020’s are rocky.

There’s one other key point…

Collapse doesn’t affect every area across the globe the same either.

Take for instance forest fires. As most people know, I lost my home in California to one of these last year. Note these things:

  1. California burns every single year.
  2. Over the past five years or so, it has gotten worse every single year.
  3. Last year was a big step up from before. Not just California but the entire west coast up to Canada!
  4. This year the state is drier than last year.
  5. Fire season is just about to start once again…

What helped me out here? Surviving and thriving. Mobility and insurance came in handy here personally. And unfortunately, that makes many of the other things tougher to do. (I lost all my stockpile of survival goods for instance and had to start over.)

That’s the thing about this model. It’s not just civilization collapse but also useful for short-term emergencies too.

One thing I’m thankful for in the fire is that it stretched me out of my own unthinkability bias here. That it couldn’t happen to me. And thus, with this antifragile outlook, I feel more prepared to look at such scenarios as I’m laying out here.

Insurance of various types can help through many possibilities, which is why I added it to my chart. The thing is you must also trust those institutions to be there as well.

And in any case, survival goods and weaponry are a type of insurance. Being in cryptos has gotten me thinking a lot more about risk mitigation in many different ways.

There are more natural disasters happening. Remember how Texas froze this last winter?

Whether there is a grand solar minimum coming causing a mini ice age, it’s man-made changes causing cascading environmental effects, weather modification weaponry, or some combination of these factors I can’t say for sure. Probably all of them. What will effect where you live? Are you ready for that?

Another example. We just had the Colonial Pipeline Hack. Even though it was the owners that shut it down, not the hackers, it caused people to not be able to get gas, disrupting their lives.

Those are just a few minor examples. As the collapse occurs across multiple issues, these things exacerbate each other. For example, the fires happening during the pandemic/government edicts made things tougher.

It is completely possible that certain places (whole countries?) may collapse completely, while others function virtually untouched.

Certain places become Mad Max while others step straight in the future. It’s not fair, but it may be how it goes.

Community and Skillsets

I’ve added two meta categories to my drawing that encompass the whole stack.

The community of people you surround yourself with is important no matter what level we descend too. In addition, it can be useful to know people that specialize in different levels of this such as survival vs. investing.

Not to mention that investing in your community (which may mean your family, your friends, worthy charities, those fighting the good fight, etc.) is always worthwhile.

Then there are skillsets involved in the whole stack. At the bottom of the stack, the many branches of survival skills and subsistence living. Towards the top end more so on investing skills. And so much besides that.

Investing in your personal skillsets is always worthwhile. But not just the same old skillsets. With this model is a call to expand your proficiency into likely new skillsets.

What to Do with This?

Ask yourself: How prepared are you for these different levels of collapse?

I really don’t want to be promoting fear. Some describe me as cynical. But these are plenty of realistic scenarios worth thinking through. That’s why I put together this article, largely to sharpen my own thinking through them.

The best bet is to be ready for anything!

Unfortunately, that is not easy to do. So what do you do? Start at some bare basics at the bottom of the stack and work your way up. The specifics of preparations are beyond the scope of this article. There are places that cover that far better than I could at this time anyway.

Return to this model overtime to modify your positions, insurances, plans and assets as necessary.

What do you see as most likely? Least likely?

What is most harmful if you get it wrong? (If you miss out on a financial investment you can live with that, if you miss out on being able to feed yourself, not so much.)

It can easily be overwhelming. So what is one thing you can do, even today that is a step in the right direction?

I’ll be doing another article that looks at some of the existential threats on the horizon.

Is Your Money Safe? Is the Economy Safe?

I’ve been talking a lot about cryptocurrencies lately and will continue to do so. One of the big topics that stops many people from getting involved is how safe are they?

Safety is an important question, but I want to change tracks a bit. How safe is your money in general? How safe is the ever-growing economic bubble we all live in? (Like a fish in water, most can’t see it.)

In this article we’ll be looking at several areas to dispel the myths of safety we are supposed to believe in, showing that such safety nets that we assume exist may not be there when we expect them to be, especially as this country continues to fall apart.

First, I’ll start with a quote from Catherine Austin Fitts, in her excellent Solari Report, The End of Currencies. Highly recommended reading!

“To understand the state of our currencies, it is essential to realize that we live and transact in a transition time between two systems—amid a global currency war. The first system is the U.S. dollar, which has served as the global reserve currency since World War II…The second system is ‘in the invention room’ as we speak. Numerous parties throughout the developed and developing worlds—including members of the dollar syndicate—are attempting to bring up new digital transaction, payment and settlement systems…these unfolding developments represent a complex, confusing landscape for even the most sophisticated financial observer…The important thing to understand in this transition period is that many members of the global leadership do not intend to bring up a new currency system for use by the general population. Instead, they intend to end the use of currency as we know it, as part of a radical reengineering of our existing laws, finances, and culture. Their goal is the end of individual sovereignty—managed with technocracy and transaction systems that can operate without markets or currency in the classic sense, integrated with other heretofore separate control systems.”

I’ve touched on many of these areas before but aim to give a bigger picture looking at the unsustainability of our current system here in a two-fold way:

  1. The system at large
  2. Your dollars within the system

How Safe is the FDIC?

FDIC, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, is what backs every bank account to the tune of $250,000 nowadays. Your money is safe in banks because the government guarantees it.

As their website says, FDIC is “an independent agency created by the Congress to maintain stability and public confidence in the nation’s financial system. The FDIC insures deposits…”

But do you believe in a guarantee when you know that our government is run as a criminal organization?

(After all, the Constitution is supposedly a series of government guarantees, but we can see these guarantees are all being whittled away.)

Here’s a history lesson. Another US insurance organization, the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corporation, became insolvent in the 1980’s savings and loan crisis.

It was “recapitalized” with taxpayer money, $15 billion in 1986 and $10.75 billion in 1987. Despite these efforts, by 1989 it was still broke and was gotten rid of. Its responsibilities were replaced by the FDIC. That crisis ultimately cost taxpayers $150 billion dollars.

So let’s look at the FDIC.

Did you know that the FDIC was $8 billion in the hole back in 2010 from the last big crisis and bank failures? They’ve since reversed that, but just how exactly are they insuring that your money stays in bank accounts when they themselves haven’t always had it?

Nothing fundamental was fixed after the 2008 crisis. The problems are all bigger now…just elsewhere besides mortgages.

The most up-to-date info I can find on their website discusses how they’ve lowered the reserve ratio from the “Restoration Plan” after the 2008 crisis. As of September 30th, 2018 they held $100.2 billion.

That covers 400,800 accounts at the $250,000 limit. Of course, most people don’t have that much money. But of those that do, many have several different insured accounts at different institutions. 

If a crisis bankrupted a federal insurance institution before, what are the chances of it happening again? I’d be willing to bet on it.

Bank Runs?

Investopedia defines a bank run as the following: “A bank run occurs when a large number of customers of a bank or other financial institution withdraw their deposits simultaneously over concerns of the bank’s solvency. As more people withdraw their funds, the probability of default increases, prompting more people to withdraw their deposits. In extreme cases, the bank’s reserves may not be sufficient to cover the withdrawals.”

If there is a demolition of the current system (whether controlled or uncontrolled) this is a potential consequence.

Oh, and regarding those reserves? I reported on this back in March of 2020. The Fed stated: “As announced on March 15, 2020, the Board reduced reserve requirement ratios to zero percent effective March 26, 2020.  This action eliminated reserve requirements for all depository institutions.”

Banks aren’t required to hold any reserves anymore. Suspicious timing…What does a pandemic have to do with bank reserves? There’s no answer on the surface level which is why such a policy change got no mainstream coverage. But below the surface…everything.

I guess if we go fully digital there can’t really be a bank run?

…at least no one will SEE the bank run since all they need to do is transmit some bits over there and say we’re not allowing cash transactions anymore (because of the virus of course).

The FDIC is there to ensure that bank runs don’t happen. But what if the system is pushed to the point of collapse where FDIC goes with it.

The “good news” is there is a solution…

The Solution to Every Problem – Print More Money

The answer to any and all of these questions is to print more money. That seems to be our economic plan. That is what Modern Monetary Policy says to do.

Yes, the FDIC could be rescued from ANY failure by printing more money. But understand that comes at a cost, the dollars we all have get debased further.

Printing money acts as a hidden tax on the people. Congress doesn’t have to approve it. (Technically in the Constitution they approve budgets but that’s hardly how it actually works now.)

They don’t take it from you like they do with taxes, instead they just make any dollars you hold worth less.

In fact, with almost everything listed here the answer may be the same. Got a pandemic? Print more money. Going to war with China? Print more money. Climate change? Print more money. Alien invasion? Print more money.

It’s the magical solution to any threat, real or spun.

Why would they debase a currency like this?

Understand that by printing more, the bankers and their political, intelligence, non-profit, and corporate friends can gobble up assets better than anyone else. They get the benefits of new money created out of thin air, while it negatively impacts all the other existing money in value.

This creates bubbles. Bubbles always pop. Whether engineered or not, growing bubbles contribute to economic inequality. The rich get richer. The poor get poorer.

…And the bubble popping is another crisis which gives license to print more money.

It’s a hell of a system. Kicking the can down the road like this, without any fundamental reform, only delays and grows the problems that will have to be dealt with at some time.

Many in the financial space liken this money printing to be hooked on crack, heroin and meth!

The Debt Death Spiral

A zombie company is defined as a company that either needs bailouts in order to operate or has debt that it can pay interest on but not principal. While some can get turned-around most ultimately go bankrupt.

It must be great to be too big to fail, right?

Bloomberg reported that since the pandemic started over 200 large corporations, with over $2 trillion in debt, were added to the list of zombies list. This included Boeing, Delta, Exxon Mobil,  Carnival, Macy’s and more.

Even more important than companies…what happens when the US goes full on zombie government?

This report comes from Q1 of 2019 from the Office Of Debt Management. It forecasted that in 2024 the US would only be able to pay interest and no principal on it’s debt.

This was BEFORE all the pandemic bailouts. Are we already a zombie or will it be in 2022 or 2023?

I suppose they can just print more money to handle the debt, right?

How Safe are 401K’s?

Most IRA’s are only taxed when you withdraw from them. (Roth IRA’s being the exception, where you pay taxes before contributing and then can withdraw tax free.)

Here’s a question to ask yourself. By the time you’re taking money out, do you think taxes are going to:

A) stay the same?
B) go lower?
C) go higher?

Really take some time to ponder that question. They might just print money, but I’d also be willing to bet taxes will be going up.

I just saw this article the other day. “Payback time: Biden to repeal Trump tax cuts and propose first major federal hike since 1993 to help fund $1.9 trillion COVID package: President is expected to raise corporate tax and personal rates for high earners”

With government spending ramping up, likely to ramp up even more, where do you think that money is going to come from?

And if you think only the richest people are going to be taxed, I’m sorry but you’re not paying attention. Yes, there are things like the proposed California wealth tax, but the brunt will always fall on the middle class, while the elites have their ways of avoiding the worst of such policies. (After all, they’re paying the politicians to write the rules.)

I know some of my readers are already retired. Others won’t for decades to come. But you really need to project out where you think the USA is going for this.

Do you even own Your 401K?

Can the government just take your 401K? Not with current laws. But laws can change. Apparently, this would take going through Congress, the President and the Supreme Court. Again, if you think this is impossible, I ask you how many impossible things happened in 2020?

My friend Garrett Gunderson first clued me into this. In a Forbes article he wrote, “Did you know that your 401(k) does not even technically belong to you? Read the fine print and you will find that it is what’s called an “FBO” (For Benefit Of). In other words, it’s held in trust by a custodian on your behalf and is subject to a slew of government regulation and change. It’s essentially a tax code. If history proves to be a reliable guide, 401(k) funds are therefore in great jeopardy! In the same way that the government raises and lowers taxes at their whim, it can change the rules and take the money that you so diligently saved.”

But realize that is just one means of transferring wealth.

Even if 401K’s aren’t touched, we know that the markets are largely rigged. I don’t know if it is completely so, or just partially, but insider’s do have ways of creating, inflating and popping bubbles to their benefit. They can ride the bubbles on the way up and get out before they pop.

In 2008, my mom’s retirement in her 401K was cut in half by the stock market crash. She passed away before she retired (because of the poisoning of our environment and ineffective medical care) but I know she was worried that she wouldn’t be able to retire when she planned to. She’d have to work longer because of the market of which she had no control. She just trusted that her 401K was a wise choice.

Is the Stock Market Safe?

We saw stocks drop significantly in March of last year, only for it to resume going to new highs. The stock market is thriving only because of the money being pumped into the system. But that won’t inflate it forever.

But what goes up must come down.

There will be another bigger and prolonged crash at some point. Guaranteed.

Most people have ZERO control over their 401K’s, all of which is in the stock market. It’s managed by some mutual fund, typically paying a hefty but hidden fee for the privilege.

A better option in my mind is a self-directed 401K. This way you can do much more than index funds in the stock market. With the right setup you can invest in businesses, real estate, precious metals, foreign assets, and even cryptocurrencies.

Personally, I don’t have a 401K. And I don’t ever plan to. Truthfully, I don’t even buy to the idea of retirement for myself. That doesn’t mean I’m not working for my future; I’m just using different vehicles to do so.

The fact that you don’t actually own it makes it highly suspect in my mind.

What if the government decides that all white people need to pay reparations for their whiteness and the 401K is a good way to do that? Because obviously, if you have a 401K you’re privileged and engaging in white supremacy.

I only say this in partial jest with the direction things are going…After all, if math can be racist, all things are on the table!

“White supremacy culture shows up in math classrooms when… The focus is on getting the ‘right’ answer.” (This quote comes from The Education Trust Inc., which happens to be funded by the Gates Foundation of course.)

It’s not a far leap from the right answers in math being racist, to any financial literacy and therefore retirement funds being racist.

How Safe are Pensions?

Virtually all the state pensions are underfunded.

Here’s a graphic from 2017 showing the average state is short about 30%. Some like New Jersey are deeply in the red. Only two states, South Dakota and Wisconsin were fully funded.

That’s government workers. What about private pensions?

In 2012, the Irish government passed a 0.6% tax on private pension funds due to the financial crisis and a need to increase revenues.

Argentina nationalized $30 billion in private pensions in the last global crisis.

There are many more examples of such actions the world over. Do you think this kind of thing is impossible within the USA?

Is it American exceptionalism alone that protect us?

A good question is why are these pensions underfunded? The government is full of crooks that are already robbing us every chance they get. For the sociopaths involved, they’ll continue to rob us of anything and everything with whatever they can get away with. Of course, there are ways of getting at pension money, just like social security which will be bankrupt within a couple years.

Have no fear the federal government is here. The recent COVID relief bill included $86 billion in pension bailouts.

Too big to fail, right? The states must fall in line with the Federal government to get their handouts too.

A good question to ask is, do you live in a more or less controlled state because of such liabilities?

Government Waste and Corporate Profiteering

Did you know that in 2020, New York spent $447,337 per inmate? This was up 33% from the previous year.

Yes, there is tons of government waste. But so much more of this money is going into the pockets of corporate partners. (Like all those private prisons and contractors. It’s a very profitable system and has been for decades to throw victimless criminals in jail.)

The vaccine manufacturers received more than $9 billion from the federal government.

Our government actually pays them to make profitable products. Just Pfizer and Moderna are estimated to make $32 billion off covid vaccine sales just in 2021.

Moderna was almost 100% government funded, the last little bit kicked in from…you guessed it, the Gates Foundation.

Public funding, yet Moderna gets to keep the profits private. Furthermore, the private companies have zero product liability, that falls on the government too. That’s one a hell of a deal!

This is how the organized criminal syndicate runs. This is why the system is so overburdened with debt. the criminals loot money from taxpayers to pass back and forth between each other.

The Student Debt Bubble

Student loan debt makes up almost a third of the assets of our government.

And previously it was even a larger chunk, over 50% of governement assets!

So what happens when this is forgiven as many politicians are pushing for?

In the last round of bailouts (aka Covid relief measures) the bill made it so debt relief was non-taxable which it previously had been. In other words, this is paving the path for debt cancellation.  

And Biden is going around canceling debt, bit by bit now.

Student loans are certainly a racket that screws over people big time. I’m not trying to debate that here.

But just looking at it from the other side…what happens when you get rid of the biggest asset held by a government quickly going bankrupt?

I suppose you can just raise taxes or print more money to make it up.

The Dollar Continues to be Downplayed Across the World

The discussions between Russia, China and other countries about moving away from the dollar continue to occur. This has been going on for years now.

Recently, Nikkei Asia reported, “Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov began a visit to China on Monday with a call for Moscow and Beijing to reduce their dependence on the U.S. dollar and Western payment systems to push back against what he called the West’s ideological agenda.”

“Washington has been abusing SWIFT to arbitrarily sanction any country at will, which sparked global dissatisfaction. If China and Russia could work together to challenge the dollar hegemony, a laundry list of countries would echo the call and join the new system,” Dong Dengxin, director of the Finance and Securities Institute at the Wuhan University of Science and Technology, told the Global Times.

But it’s not just our “enemies” saying this…

Mark Carney, governor of the Bank of England said in 2019, “The world’s reliance on the U.S. dollar won’t hold and needs to be replaced by a new international monetary and financial system based on many more global currencies.”

The Coming Shocks

Understand that all this IS the desired outcome by many at the top of the financial pyramid. It allows the cover-up of crimes over the decades and for the global ponzi scheme to continue. And of course, even more power and control.

How? Read The Shock Doctrine. At the very least watch the documentary. It’s a great overview of how things have worked and will continue to do so.

An analogy that I think fits is that we’ll be going through a fall-of-the-USSR type of change, covered about halfway through the video here.

(Though they went “communist” to “capitalist”, while our case seems more in reverse. Those labels aren’t what is most important, but instead to see the commonalities of the economic impacts! In either case powerful oligarchs manipulating the systems are profiting while people suffer.)

By continuing to manipulate markets, loot pensions and taxpayers, this allows for benefits to them today and bigger shocks for the common people later.

Then greater austerity measures will be introduced.

Your acceptance of the totalitarians aims in order to get your handouts are the carrot. Their threats and violence, the stick.

With a heavy heart I say that unfortunately more violence is coming to the US’ “domestic terrorists.” They’re discussing drone striking Americans on the news.

Furthermore, while tested out with Ebola, the bird and swine flus, and even earlier, we can say that “Pandemic Capitalism” is definitely on the rise.

Let me ask a few questions…

Did drugs go away after we declared war on them? (Not when intelligence agencies were funding their black ops by running drugs.)

Did cancer go away after we declared war on it? (Not when the pharmaceutical-industrial-government complex is profiting from both causing and curing cancer.)

Did terrorism go away after we declared war on it? (Not when the military-industrial complex profited trillions.)

We declared war on the coronavirus. Does that mean the coronavirus be gone soon?

It is frustrating to me that people think we’re getting back to normal now.

A temporary reprieve at best. Something that serves to drive us deeper into trance come the next shock.

No, the endless wars (not just physical) have been running for a long time now.

Looking at and understanding the economics of it (instead of getting wrapped up in left/right politics, royal scandals with Markle and Oprah, even scientific debates about health) will give you the most clarity moving forward.

That’s why I’m going to be talking about this even more.

Economics is probably the most useful lens to use to see how the world really works.

My Conclusion: US Dollars are Not Safe

Wrap your mind around that. To keep assets in USD is risky. Once again, I don’t think the dollar is going away anytime soon. It’s a step-by-step process that will unfold over the next several years.

But we are on that road.

The value trend is going down while other assets inflate. (Despite a spike up in USD value recently. That likely has to do with it’s not just the US printing money either.)

Not today, but soon. Perhaps somewhere in 2023-2025 when the US debt stands at $40 trillion, we’re a zombie government, social security is bankrupt, and more has all occurred?

That’s the old system. What about the new?

I found this interesting. Soros Fund Management chief information officer Dawn Fitzpatrick said, “We think the whole infrastructure around crypto is really interesting, and we’ve been making some investments into that infrastructure — and we think that is at an inflection point…I think when it comes to crypto generally, we’re at a really important moment in time, in that, something like Bitcoin might have stayed a fringe asset, but for the fact that, over the last 12 months, we’ve increased money supply in the U.S. by 25%.”

The hedge funds are seeing it. Are you?

An inflection point.

You can literally follow the money right now as we go from the dollar system to the new system.

By that I mean follow the money with your money.

Of course, this doesn’t make cryptocurrencies completely safe either. Far from it. A big crash will come there too. A huge shock which allows the “Fedcoin” to come in is almost assured at some point.

But right now, as it is in the “invention room” we’re FAR from the totalitarian control of the system. We are going through the massive change right now.

So many in the crypto space are against the totalitarian control. But just like everything else, you need to seek to see what is going on behind the scenes.

Most of my assets besides my businesses are invested in cryptocurrency right now.

(With a good portion in silver to act as a hedge…but I’ve been waiting for years for the silver manipulation to end there and am still waiting).

The writing is on the wall. I’m reading it. I could be wrong about this trend , but I don’t think I am. I certainly benefited by seeing this trend last year.

This gives me time to profit from the asset inflation, the bubble, take profits along the way and get out when the time is right.

To reinvest those profits in my family, my community, supplies and Plan B scenarios. Also to fund those that are fighting the good fight.

You might think me risky to do so…but as I’ve shown, money, the US dollar, is risky right now.

There is risk either way…

But I am trusting in my understanding of the global system! I’m almost all in.

More Spots Opened Up

Reading over this article multiple times, I feel like it may be stoking lots of fear. I sincerely apologize for that, but I think it is best to be realistic even if it looks incredibly pessimistic.

There still is hope that the system implodes on itself allowing people to get free. But even if that happens that too will be rough.

Neither should this be construed to mean that cryptocurrency is some utopian thing that will save us all. I hope I’ve clearly explained how it very well could be the exact opposite.

Still, I do believe their is a window of opportunity here. So much so that I’m not just doing it myself but sharing this message with others.

On that note, my crypto crash course coaching is going great. Several have made their first investments already. (One even got in right before one token shot up in value about 20%. Good timing there.)

As I’m halfway through with several clients, I’ve decided to open up a few more spots. If you’re interested email me at logan@legendarystrength.com and I’ll send you more details.

You can also signup with your email on this page and I’ll reach out shortly.

Even if you don’t work with me I hope you’ve taken this message to heart and are a little better prepared, psychologically…and perhaps financially… for what is coming.

How to Easily Earn 4% or More (aka The Benefits of DeFi without the Hassles!)

Cast your mind back to the earlier days of the internet. Do you remember when online banks became a thing?

And many people were scared to use them. “How could you trust a bank that didn’t have a building?” they asked.

Your money would disappear into the electronic ethers and you’d have to trust it would be there. I remember when I first signed up for one such bank, ING Direct. My parents thought I was crazy to do so!

That fear seems pretty naïve at this point of the pervasive internet, right?

While I’m sure that some still swear off these things, they’ve become quite common. People routinely do banking, make payments, buy and sell stocks off their smarts phones these days.

For years I’ve recommended using such online savings accounts because they offered an actual yield as compared to many banks (Local credit unions sometimes also being better).

But that yield has gone down, closer to what the big banks were giving. One of the places I used, has gone from 1.5% down to a measly 0.5%.

This does not even keep up with the inflation we have going on. The Fed expects 2.4% this year…when we know better than to trust official numbers. (That means it is most definitely higher.)

In other words, holding money in a bank account is a good way to lose.

No thanks, I need a better option.

Enter DeFi

DeFi stands for Decentralized Finance. Basically, this is the ecosystem that has sprung up around cryptocurrencies, most notably the Ethereum network.

By being decentralized it relies on smart contracts and a network of people. There are no centralized hubs like the banks. Instead, there are decentralized applications that build a financial platform available to everyone that operates peer to peer.

Let me check in…have I already lost you?

Do you understand what I’m talking about, or did your eyes glaze over earlier?

In the past months I’ve been having quite a few conversations with different people on these topics. And most simply cannot wrap their heads around it. It is too different from what they know.

New is challenging. Like conspiracy topics they don’t seek to understand because they want to stay safe within their worldview.

I understand it’s not easy to grasp. Yet, that is part of the reason it is important to do so now. Get ahead of the curve not behind, as I talked about in my last post.

Let me take you back in time…

It was 2015 and I had heard about Bitcoin from several different sources. So I dug in. I decided I had to get what this was. It took me some time to do so, looking at multiple sources. It was challenging. But the reward was then I felt like I understood enough that I could begin investing.

On April 24th, 2015 I bought my first ever Bitcoin for $230.20.

Was that a good choice? While I have made many mistakes along the way, the fact that I saw the future coming at least to some degree, and did the hard work of trying to understand it, paid off.

The question is will you do the same if you haven’t already?

The Easiest Way I’ve Found into the Benefits of DeFi…without the Complications!

Why did I bring up online bank accounts? Because it is much the same here.

I’m going to cover more of the complex stuff in the future. But first I want to simplify it for you. Can you get the power (and benefits of DeFi) without actually understanding any of it?

Yes, you can.

What follows is the simplest route in that I’ve found. This doesn’t involve exchanges, setting up wallets or anything like that.

So let me tell you about Donut.

Unfortunately, at this time it is only available for iOS. But they are working on Android.

And that leads me to start with what I do not like. This financial app is exclusively for your smart phone, or iPad. They have a website, but you can’t even login there! You can only interface through the app right now.

Let me be clear, I do not like this trend. Since most of my work is at a computer, I use a desktop. I really don’t even use my cell phone much. But this is where things are going. (And that’s not to mention the whole being controlled by the smart device thing which will grow and grow.)

The good news is that if you can and do use any financial apps, you can do this too.

How Would You Like to Earn 4-13% on Your Cash?

Basically, because in DeFi there are ways to earn much larger yields, 5-12% is quite easy, and possibilities of making a ridiculous 1000%+, this company can use the money you save to do so.

And they can give you your cut of 4% for use of your funds.

Here is an actual screenshot from my account. I have only been using this for a couple of months and have already earned more interest than a full year of my online savings accounts with a much smaller balance.

In fact, you can get more than 4%. You can select the variable amount. At the time of this screen shot it was 6.96%. I have seen it move below 4% as well. (The thing is you can click a button and then move back to the standard 4% when that happens too.)

And soon they’re planning on offering even more. This morning I took another screen shot. You can see the variable rate is just above the fixed rate at 4.3%. And they have a Variable Pro rate of 13% coming soon.

So at the very least you’re earning 8x times more than most banks offer. And there are possibilities for much more than that.

This is the power of DeFi…made really simple to get started with.

If you’ve got an iPhone, you can click this link to get started. Special offer through this link. You get $10 free once you’ve made a deposit. I also get $10 for making the recommendation. Win-win.

How Does It Work?

To understand this, you have to understand more about digital currencies. One thing (of several) that have stopped their widespread adoption is the volatility. The space does go through some wild swings.

And this is why stablecoins were created. They are cryptocurrencies that are pegged to a (comparatively) stable asset, such as the US Dollar.

These are basically a cryptocurrency versions of the US dollar. Like a digital dollar but typically backed by real cash and audited (PAXOS), backed up by code and a basket of other cryptocurrencies (DAI), or seemingly backed by cash but actually a scam (USDT aka Tether). More on stablecoins including the scam details another time.

In short, these stablecoins are stable in price compared to other cryptocurrencies. Importantly for this topic, they can be lent out in a variety of ways to make money in the space.

With Donut, your cash is converted into stablecoins (DAI specifically) and then lent out for you. You can withdraw your cash at any time.

Is this Risky? Is this Safe?

First of all, this is not FDIC insured. There is no Federal guarantee that your money is protected. (As you might imagine, there are financial problems with this federal agency, I plan to explore in the near future.)

FDIC insurance backs every bank account. But not this.

But the fact that this lending is backed by collateral ultimately acts as coverage, at least to a degree. While there are ways of leveraging such assets, within DeFi lending things tend to be collateralized over 100%. Often 150%. So it is safer in that way.

Donut has been around since 2019. I know that doesn’t sound like much but that is a decent timeframe for a stable company in this space!

Ultimately, time will tell. There is a big crypto crash at some point in the future. Nothing ever just goes up. When that crash occurs does the collateral cover everything so that Donut and their users have zero problems? I hope so. For my sake and theirs.

Ideally, I would like to see even more information on their website including audited reports.

My Use of Donut

I would NOT recommend you ditch any and all other investments and use only this. Far from it. Instead try it out as one place to make use of.

Diversification of platforms is one of my strategies especially in this newer field.

I am actively using Donut as one of my savings accounts. Sure, I can use those funds within the crypto space and make even more doing the lending myself.  

One thing I like about this is the extremely quick liquidity of it. You can withdraw your cash at any time and it’ll arrive back to your bank within 1-5 business days.

This is far from the end-all, be-all of DeFi, but I choose to share it as it’s an incredibly easy intro point where you can get some of the benefits of crypto without the hassles of it.

  1. Download the app. (Again, iOS only right now.)
  2. Create a profile (login and pin).
  3. Connect your bank account.
  4. Deposit
  5. Start earning

It can be that simple.

Once again you can get a special offer through my link. You get $10 free once you’ve made a deposit. I also get $10 for making the recommendation.

Regardless of whether or not you choose to (or can) use this app, I hope that this served as an intro into the space. Much more to come in the future.

Let me know if you have any questions below.

Disclaimer: This is not to be used as financial advice. Logan Christopher and Legendary Strength LLC are not registered investment, legal or tax advisors nor a broker/dealer. All investment opinions expressed are from personal research and experience. Email and website content is to be used for informational purposes only. Logan Christopher is personally invested (long) in a number of cryptocurrencies.

Learning DeFi and Cryptos Might Be the #1 Skill You Need Right Now

Remember that people dismissed the internet as a fad. How are they feeling right now?

Sure, there was spectacular flashes and crashes along the way. The dotcom bubble being an early such example. But did that kill the internet?

Look at where we are at today. Everyone holds the internet in their hand or pocket with them wherever they go. To not be connected at an instant is the anomaly.

This is where cryptocurrencies, blockchains and smart contracts are going.

If you’re looking to stretch this analogy further, we are likely in the post dotcom bubble era with crypto.

The internet is established but most people still aren’t using it. This is the time of the mass mailing of AOL discs!

We’re in the spot where many people were still hesitant to buy things or bank online.

We’re in the spot where entrepreneurs were flocking to the zone. (I launched my first ecommerce website selling goods a whopping 14 years ago now back in 2007.)

We’re in the spot before social media became pervasive.

We’re in the spot before smart phones made the internet ubiquitous.

NOW is the time to get in. Because this may well be even bigger than the internet. That might be hard to believe, but it is the entire global economy in transition.

Just because it might be hard to wrap your head around how such things work, doesn’t mean that its not worth paying attention to.

You may not know the engineering details of how electricity gets generated and everything involved in delivering it to your house but that doesn’t stop you from flipping the light switch, does it?

There are other factors at play that make this even more pressing.

Our Economy is Crumbling

Here’s the US National debt over 120 years…

Exponential growth and hockey sticks are not sustainable.

This image, made at the end of 2020, is already outdated and inaccurate. The chart must be extended to shift into less than 2 ½ months of 2021.

Oh yeah, and this doesn’t even include the $1.9 Trillion stimulus bill just passed.

They project $40 trillion by 2031…which means we’ll probably be there by about 2026 or 2025 if not sooner.

Do you understand what this means yet?

They will continue printing money in ever bigger amounts. Eventually people will lose confidence in the US dollar. Modern Monetary Theory says there is no consequence for printing all the money you want. (How did that work out for every other country that has done that?)

Russia and China are already divesting USD. They have been slowly doing so for years.

I don’t know when the proverbial SHTF.

As of right now the USD is still the global reserve currency. Being tied to oil (they don’t call it the petrodollar for nothing), backed by the US army, it still has legs.

Reserve currencies don’t last forever. In fact, they tend to last about 70 years. The US dollar is getting long in the tooth.

This won’t happen tomorrow. But the transition will happen in time.

And when it happens, it may happen FAST.

When that does happen, everything will be disrupted even bigger than what happened with the pandemic.

First bit of advice, do not get caught with your pants down!

Be prepared and ready for this. Even better, be in a position where this works for you.

Are You Winning or Losing from Inflation?

Crazy inflation is already happening…but most people don’t see it, because they don’t understand the bigger picture.

(So many still think the virus is about this virus! The economic magicians wonderful use of misdirection hides their schemes.)

At some point, very likely in the near future, the prices at the store, at the gas pump, and elsewhere will start to rise. In some places they already have.

This will snowball…

Perception is fact in this day and age, sadly. That’s why the news can print or say something the is literally the opposite of the truth and besides a few people screaming about the insanity, nothing happens.

We’re dealing with fake money after all. That is what fiat means.

(I laugh at people who balked at crypto saying it’s just made up. Yes it is…and that comment shows how little they understand our economy and current fiat currency. If you haven’t got that memo, it’s all made up. It is all based on perceived value.)

Most of what is happening right now is known as asset inflation.

Have you noticed real estate prices lately? The stock market? Physical precious metals? And certainly cryptocurrencies?

In other words, right now, people perceive certain cryptographic code on a computer called a Bitcoin as worthy of lots and lots of dollars.

90% of the attention goes on Bitcoin. But honestly, I’m more excited about several other tokens.

Here is one of many I got invested in. Some hockey stick charts suck (US debt). Some hockey stick charts rule (anything I’m invested in).

What is the Dollar’s Replacement?

If the dollar is going away, something must come to replace it. What is coming?

The answer should be obvious by now. Cryptocurrencies, in one shape or another. This much is certain.

Based on limitations, it won’t be Bitcoin. Who knows? It might be the Digital Yuan.

There are still hurdles to overcome and details to get ironed out, but we know the shift is here because the technology involved make certain things possible that are not in any other way.

Besides most of our money is already digital.

The “signal” that cash was to be phased out because of the virus, and the supposed coin shortage, should be loud and clear.

Money is flooding into things of value. Some certainly more tangible and more productive than others.

Yet, many think these bits are not productive. That’s not quite correct. There is technology backing them. Productive technology and ideas. Therefore, money will continue to move from the “old system” into the “new system.”

Being faddish, absolutely this will outstrip what is rationally moving in.

But if you haven’t figured it out there is little rationality in the 20’s.

Bitcoin has popped as a bubble three times now. And it’s still around. It is bubbling again and will pop again. But it is not going away.

We had the real estate bubble in 2008. Did real estate go away after that? Not at all.

So my question to you is this…

Would you rather own some of that asset inflation, or have it in areas that are deflating?

Paypal is in. Tesla’s in. Hedgefunds are moving in. The banks are using the technology and starting to allow customers to hold Bitcoin.

It…is…happening…before…our…eyes.

Why wait for them to be forced on you (likely in the form of CBDC’s, central bank digital currencies explained here) when the trap is fully laid?

I’ll get back to that but let’s talk more financial matters…

Social Security is Bankrupt Guaranteed

Social security will be bankrupt somewhere between 2023 and 2035. The 2035 projection was before the pandemic, but this rapidly accelerated that time line.

This is just one example of many.

The only way the US government can afford to pay it’s many, many liabilities, is to print more money. This means that if you’re relying on those government services, you’re becoming poorer and poorer.

Bitcoin at $100,000 is not because bitcoin is worth necessarily worth $100,000. A large chunk of that is because US dollars are losing value.

So many of us, especially within the USA, are soft. Life has been easy. Comfortable. We don’t know what true hardship is.

…And that makes so many blind to the trajectories we’re on leading us there.

It is tough to learn lessons you don’t have first hand experience with.

You’ve been reading my conspiratorial blog posts here, so you understand some of what is going on. And on that note, the thing I get asked more and more is what do we do about all the craziness?

What Can We Do?

To be honest, these forces are far more powerful and with far deeper pockets than you and I.

Sure, collectively together we are more powerful. But we are NOT acting collectively together. Not by a long shot!

Divide and conquer has worked so well. Why change the playbook when the same play works over and over?

Yes, the sheep could turn on their owners. But it’s not in the nature of sheep to do so.

How many people that swore off of politics, knowing it’s a shitshow, have gotten wrapped up into the right vs. left fight once again because the soap opera theatrics have been cranked up to 11?

I’ll admit it. It drew me in as I tried to make sense of the craziness.

Sure, one side is fighting for more freedom, but in most cases only just enough to make a good show of it. You gotta have your faces and heels. (That’s pro wrestling terms for the good guys and bad guys.)

So what can we do?

You can take care of yourself and yours. I don’t mean this in a selfish manner.

Instead, I mean that the only chance we have to do anything is to accumulate resources which can then be aimed towards greater collective action.

You can increase your optionality. You can figure out your Plan B, C, D and E.

Money is one part of that. Community and other usable skills is another.

Some of the best people I see trying to support collective action…have FU money.

FU money is defined as “any amount of money allowing infinite perpetuation of wealth necessary to maintain a desired lifestyle without needing employment or assistance from anyone.”

Do you?

It certainly makes it easier if you don’t have the regular 9-5, much less two or three jobs.

I don’t see any way around this.

As the saying goes… “The best thing you can do for the poor is not be one of them.”

Granted, that’s just a starting point. Money by no means makes you a good person.

But if we wanted to fight Bill Gates‘ plans…it sure would be much easier if we had Bill Gates’ resources without his techno-morality!

The Opportunity Before the Fall

Crushing you and your free thinking is necessary for the agendas at play.

We are economic men and women, and therefore control of the money is paramount. Always has been. Always will be, as long as money exists in one form or another.

While the totalitarian control grid will seek to wrap money into your digital ID, vaccination passports and more, that is still far off. Years down the road.

Understand that that cannot happen until widespread digital money is used. And we’re still a far cry from that.

(Although the vaccine pass apps are starting up already, Israel taking the lead. There are many steps that are happening quite quickly.)

So there is great opportunity now…even if crypto makes up part of our ultimate prison. You can get in and get out if that becomes necessary.

You may be reading this thinking you’re missing out, sitting on the sidelines, but the truth is we haven’t even crossed the chasm of the early adopters yet. We’re a far cry from the early majority.

In other words, there is still time to get in early and profit from doing so. But I don’t think that chasm is very far off now.

The good news is that cryptocurrencies could also be used to free us from the central banks and their government, media, etc. cronies. That’s what decentralized, as in decentralized finance or DeFi, is all about.

Some cryptos are by their very design aimed at getting around such totalitarian systems too.

Thinking of optionality wouldn’t that be great to be setup and proficient in ahead of time?

The elites won’t go down so easily. In fact, I would argue they’re behind many of the most popular cryptocurrencies, a topic I plan to explore in future articles too.

And scams and schemes certainly abound in the area. It is the new wild west. I’m not saying to throw caution to the wind. But I’m also not saying to be complacent.

Crypto is happening. The dollar hegemony is falling. These forces will not be stopped.

A One World Currency?

There will not be a global currency. Not for quite some time at least. There are tons and tons of currencies and will be for some time.

Eventually there will be a few winners and lots of losers. But we’re still far from any sort of consolidation. We’re in expansion mode. (This too, means there are tons of failures, but also plenty of winners.)

You have two choices in front of you:

Accept what is coming. For good or ill, digital currency is the future.

Or bury your head in the sand.

Look, you don’t need to be super technical.  I can’t write nor read a line of code to save my life. If you use online banking services and apps on your phone, you have the skills necessary to get involved in investing in crypto.

Sure, it can get complicated fast, but it doesn’t have to be super difficult.

All the luddites didn’t stop the internet. And now my almost 70 year old dad who never used a computer in his life…uses his smart phone regularly. The naysayers won’t stop it.

My argument is that it is worthwhile to hop aboard this train we’re all on. It is worth doing so.

I’m going to be doing more articles in the coming weeks…

Crash Course Beta Program!

But after I sent out an email the other week asking people’s interest in the topic I was flooded with response. I expected a positive response, but it was huge. Here’s just a small sampling:

The vast majority of people knew nothing and held nothing. That got me thinking.

After careful reflection I’m trying out something new, a beta program to walk a few select people by the hand into this world giving everything I know.

I won’t be doing this for free. And it assumes you have some funds to invest as well. As the plan is to work one-on-one with a few select people, it is limited. (After all I’ve still got my two businesses and family to attend to.)

If that interests you reply in the comments below or shoot me an email at logan@legendarystrength.com with your interest.

I will be putting up free articles soon on the topic as well, but this program is for people that want to get up and running, with a solid strategy in place, as quickly as possible.

Disclaimer: This is not to be used as financial advice. Logan Christopher and Legendary Strength LLC are not registered investment, legal or tax advisors nor a broker/dealer. All investment opinions expressed are from personal research and experience. Email and website content is to be used for informational purposes only. Logan Christopher is personally invested (long) in a number of cryptocurrencies.