You may have heard of Robert Kiyosaki, the author of Rich Dad Poor Dad and countless other books on entrepreneurial, business and financial security.
What you may not be aware of is his passion for being prepared!
Let me be honest, and straight to the point...the world we live in, while safe here in the USA...is full of circumstances that can potentially make it all disappear, and quickly.
This could come in the form of natural or man made events that cause a major breakdown in the society that we take for granted everyday. The ability to turn lights on, have gas available at the pump, an abundance of food at every store we go to and very little concern about being attacked as we drive down the street going about our lives.
Without getting too 'survivalists' on you in this post, I want to share Robert's 5 G's that he bases his foundation of survival on. This is a simplistic method to remember some of the key aspects that can have a dramatic impact on the impact an event will have on you and your family.
Here they are (in no particular order):
- Gold: This means both figuratively and literally. Today with the uptake of cryptocurrencies, there has been a move away from precious metals as a safe haven or even as a relevant form of money in today's society.
There are many reasons precious metals, especially gold and silver, are impractical forms of wealth protection. They are heavy, expensive, and in large quantities need to be secured. Cryptos like Bitcoin, Ethereum and Bitshares offer a great solution to this and with the blockchain security do provide an extremely secure way of massing wealth and having it protected, especially from the government.
The one thing that is completely undeniable about precious metals is the physical nature that they have and the underlying psychological place they have in people's mind. If a severe emergency situation was to occur, it will be vital to have some of your assets stored in physical precious metals.
Why...
Worse case scenario...the entire internet goes down and the blockchain is unavailable to access any cryptocurrency you hold. Electricity is unavailable which means you cannot access the accounts/wallets and also ATMs are unavailable which means cash is not readily available, if there is even any left there after a few days.
So the option that is proven to be 'almost' foolproof. Holding small quantities of gold and silver that can be used to trade and make purchases in the event of a major emergency.
Guns: Forget about what you think about in terms of the 2nd Amendment or anything else. When it comes down to it, wouldn't you feel more secure to have some type of way of defending you and your family in the event of an emergency?
You don't need an entire armory of weapons to do this, but you do need to know how to use them.
Be smart and keep your options open.
Handguns and rifles are the core parts of your defense and can also be used to hunt for food if you are in an area that has this as an option.Grub: While you will survive up to 40 days without food...you probably won't be functioning very well by this point and without knowing how long an emergency situation may last it is an essential part of your survival plan to have food available for you and your family. Even after an emergency...who knows how long before supplies are back in stores at the level that is needed.
Ground: This is a more wide ranging area of interpretation. While Robert's implication for this is owning land or your home outright, it can also in a more extreme application mean having a place that you can 'escape to' away from major urban areas, that can help sustain your life in terms of food and water and also self defense. Whether you have your own home in an urban area, or have a 'bug out' location that is good for survival long term really isn't the discussion here. What needs to be considered is having somewhere that you can call 'home' during an emergency situation.
Gasoline: Having energy resources to travel, power generators and sustain other essential services is vital. This may also include solar power and wind turbines to provide electricity. The supply networks are likely to be stretched and emergency services will take precedence on supplies during a major emergency situation. The other source you will want to consider is LPG for BBQs and other portable refrigeration/cooking equipment.
Now that we've covered the 5 Gs of survival, look at doing something to increase the preparedness for you and your family. Not all disasters will be the same and it doesn't need to be an 'end of the world' scenario for these to play a vital role in your safety and security.
Being proactive will make an important difference for you.
Be safe and keep vigilant!
Andrew