If you’ve been watching the economic and political chaos that’s going on in the world, it probably fills you with a sense of foreboding. In some countries, people who don’t like the economics – usually because it’s led to hyperinflation and a lack of food – are fed up with the struggle.
In other countries, people are sick of the political chaos that makes them feel as if they’re being taxed to death. Protests abound everywhere, and the streets are filled with turmoil and violence.
You may not have it so bad right now, but there’s always the possibility that whoever is in charge at any given moment can run things into the ground, so you have to be prepared to handle it.
Chaos Is Inevitable When a Country’s Been Run the Wrong Way
When chaos is happening somewhere “over there” it can be easy to settle in and overlook the possibility that it’s heading your way. But if you examine the way that things have been going all around you, then you can see that upheaval may be on the horizon.
Threats are global. By preparing yourself and your family, when the mismanagement by those in authority comes to a head, you’ll be able to not only survive, but will be considered one of the lucky ones because you’ll be able to sustain yourself.
Unrest can happen in the blink of an eye. Your ordinary world could be turned upside down in the next month, week, or even minute. If you’re going to make it, it will be because you were prepared – because you planned ahead by gaining knowledge and skills.
It will be because you set aside resources and put a support system in place with like-minded individuals. When you first start noticing signs that an economic or political crash could happen, you have to start readying your finances and protection for your family.
When a recession hits, it’s too late to try to prepare then – you’ll just have to accept whatever happens just like everyone else who was unprepared. All you have to do is watch the news to see that many places are in a chaotic mess right now because of poor government decisions.
You’ll notice that looting and protests are going on. This is happening because some people who don’t like the decisions being made have reached a breaking point. When things like higher taxes create struggle for the people, it creates the upheaval.
Those in authority often can’t or won’t help try to restore normalcy to the people. There may be short term or chronic shortages of life essentials. Food shortages lead to widespread panic and chaos as people who are driven by their own hunger or the hunger of their children seek the supplies they need.
Empty promises by government officials don’t fix empty stomachs. In the midst of government ineptitude, it’s easy for there to be fuel shortages, caused by rising prices or problems with deliveries.
There can be shortages with getting medication or even basic things like water. Utilities start to wane. There will be limits on how much water or electricity you can use. If you’re someone who still thinks that chaos is restricted to another country, consider California.
There have already been warnings about potential power interruptions, water consumption limitations and reduced gas usage warnings. The chaos is already here. It’s just waiting to erupt. The only thing left now is to know what you’re going to do about it.
Preparing Yourself for the Chaos
Money takes a hit when unrest is in the picture. This might be in the form of banking collapse. If you doubt this is something that can happen, check out the failed bank list the FDIC maintains.
You’ll see over 500 entries and these entries aren’t from decades ago. They’re recent. That should make you leery enough to know that you have to keep your financial health robust.
Many people assume that if a bank is insured by the FDIC, it means their money is protected if the bank goes under. It is – up to $250,000. However, the way it works is that when a bank collapses, the FDIC locates a bank to acquire the failing bank.
If they’re not able to do that, then you don’t get immediate access to your money. You have to wait to get it from the FDIC and there is no guarantee when that will happen. So you’re the one who has to look out for yourself in the event of economic chaos.
This involves more than just pulling all your money out of your bank and hiding it under the mattress. You have to keep the future in mind as well as the present. Things might be bad on the economic front, but eventually, restoration and recovery will prevail and you want to make sure that you come out on top.
Have cash on hand in the event of a bank collapse but also have money in the form of currency from other countries. Because when one monetary system fails, it doesn’t mean they all do.
One thing that the economic and political chaos that goes on in some places have taught people is that there is a strong need to diversify your financial picture. Don’t keep all your monetary assets in one place.
Don’t have your checking, savings, retirement accounts, investment accounts and more with one single bank. Because if it collapses, then everything you have is tied up. If you can, you may also want to move money into accounts in a banking system in another country.
Protect Your Money and Learn Alternative Survival Means
Before an economic situation occurs, make sure you have a safety net in place. This means you should have enough liquefiable assets so that you won’t have to use credit. You want to do this because in times of chaos, the credit system often goes down.
Many advisors suggest having three to six months’ worth of cash or assets to be able to make sure your needs are met. But in light of chaotic climates, it’s better to have a year’s worth of money set aside – or enough assets that you can liquify it to keep you going for a year.
Sometimes when chaos continues unending for several months, the economy can take such a downward turn that your money may not be any good to help you get what you need.
With that in mind, you should understand what your basic needs are in order to survive.
When the economic picture turns dark, you have to keep in mind that you need to make sure you have the basics covered – or you’ll become one of the many desperate individuals.
You need food, shelter, water, clothing and safety. Those are the categories you should invest both your time, money and effort into right now before it becomes too late. Sharpen your survival skills so that in case your money or assets can’t provide food, you know how to get it.
You need to know what you can eat off the land and how to reestablish a way to get food. This might mean bartering, or it might mean growing it yourself or using a reserve supply of goods that you stored up that are separate from what you normally have.
This would be your emergency supply. In the event that you can’t get to any supplies you’ve set aside, you can find water and food from the land if you know what you’re doing. Study this and master the skill as if your life depends on it – because it might.
How to Protect Your Business
When people have had enough, they tend to revolt. They’re tired of listening to empty political promises or laws that have taken money from them or food off their table. They’re tired of working long hours for low pay. So they snap.
Unfortunately, a rebellion caused by some kind of economic or political chaos is never without a casualty of something. That casualty might be the steady operation of a business.
In the event of political chaos, when protesters take to the streets, businesses are often attacked. Rocks or other objects are thrown through windows, doors are kicked in and looters make off with everything that’s not bolted to the floor.
Many business owners are unprepared when acts propelled by chaos occur. So as a result, they can lose thousands of dollars’ worth of inventory. They may also experience damage to the shop that could force the business to close until repairs are made.
Depending on how long the chaos goes on, this could have a strong impact on your bottom line, which affects your future. When you know that there are stirrings of protest or unrest first beginning, don’t wait to protect your business – especially if it’s located in a main area where people may take to the streets.
Prepare your business the same way that you would if a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, were to hit. Anything that’s high value, you would want to go ahead and remove from the business.
Clean out your safe and don’t keep any deposits, cash or otherwise, on hand. Install or upgrade security measures. If you don’t have an alarm system, get one installed – including a camera system.
If you have one in the store, whenever someone breaks in, they can easily rip the camera off the wall or ceiling mount and take the recordings with them as well. Have high quality, precision capture cameras mounted high on the outside of your building near the roof.
This way, if someone does break in, you may have the means of identifying the person and can recoup some of your loss. Some security advice suggests that business owners board up their glass doors and windows.
But those who are determined to gain access to your property will simply use a crowbar or other object to pry the wood off. Plus doing this usually hints to others that you have something valuable you’re trying to hide.
One of the things that protesters and looters often do is they’ll hurl a brick through a window of a store to gain access to the goods. Or they’ll hit it with a sharp object. The glass shatters, the people step right through and then run away with your livelihood.
These successful break ins are what happens when you have ordinary retail glass installed. Before the chaos has the potential to impact your business, invest in laminated glass that can withstand blunt force impact.
This type of glass can be bullet resistant as well. No access means no monetary loss for you. If you have a business that delivers to customers, you need to stay on top of whatever kind of chaos is going on in areas that you ship goods to.
Protesters and looters have been known to stop delivery trucks and take the goods or set the vehicle on fire. That means that you could lose money by having to replace the items that were taken.
If there is upheaval going on in an area that you ship to, have an announcement on your website that you’re aware of this. Then state that you have to charge a mailing insurance fee on top of the cost of the item. That way, if something does happen, the item will be replaced, and you won’t be out that money.
Protecting Your Home and Personal Possessions
You want to avoid chaos if possible, but it’s not always possible because reason flies out the window when people get to a place where they feel they have no other options – or feel they can get away with disruption.
Law and order break down and your normal way of conducting the business of living your personal life comes to a halt. You need to know how to protect your home and personal possessions in the event that the chaos comes to you.
Have a plan – because without one, people tend to panic and make foolish or life-endangering decisions. Make copies of your important paperwork and then put the originals in your plan B bug out location so it won’t get taken or destroyed.
Install security cameras and make them as visible as they can be. Make you home as unwelcoming as possible to those intending harm to you or your property. Easy equals access.
Something that a thief has to work for lessens your odds of having your home come under attack. Even in times of chaos, the bad guys want to get in and out quickly. You want your home to be as clear of debris as you can make it.
Anything that’s combustible should be removed because many people involved in chaos will destroy property by fire. Hide your lawnmower gas can if you have one and move your car somewhere else where you can hide it.
During economic and political unrest, vehicles are often overturned, stolen or set on fire.
Have easy access fire extinguishers as well as an escape plan if a fire does overtake your home.
Check your points of entry. Create a hindrance to deter easy access to your home. The first thing would be to have a fence that’s sturdy and fortified. Make it difficult for someone to scale it.
Plant thorny shrubs that make it painful for thieves to land on should they breach your fence. You should clear out any thick or tall shrubbery that’s against your home and move any outdoor furniture or objects that can be used as a blind spot for would-be thieves.
Get a protective guard dog and put signs up on your fence and in the windows of your home. Install cameras with warning signs. Strengthen all points of entry to your home. Your doors and windows should be tough, locked and able to withstand blunt force.
Those intending to break in usually kick in a door or window so it’s the wood surrounding these that usually gives first. Make sure that the wood or frames surrounding your doors and windows won’t provide easy access.
Have a safe room you can retreat to if your home is breached. In that room, you should keep all the supplies you need such as food, water, blankets, weapons, communication devices and an emergency radio.
Activate your bug out plan if needed. You can plan to protect your home and possessions and still have something happen. It’s okay to retreat – especially in the face of mob rule. You can’t reason with mob mentality, so it’s better to lose your possessions than your life.