THIS STORY HAS BEEN FORMATTED FOR EASY PRINTING
SCOTT BURNS

It's not quite yet time to head for the hills, but start preparing for it right now

By Scott Burns
February 5, 2009
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By now, having watched your house fall in value, your 401(k) plan slide toward nothingness, your job security wane, your benefits fade, the complete failure of business management, the disastrous failure of regulatory control, the finger-pointing of the political parties, and the revelation of an epic $50 billion fraud, none of us could be blamed if we wanted to move to Montana and shun human beings.

So here's the big question. What can we do to feel safe again?

Should we push the politicians for fundamental reform?

No way. They simply aren't qualified to provide it. Neither party has shown any willingness to stop promising benefits that have to be paid for by our children and grandchildren. Their Ponzi schemes, more politely known as Social Security and Medicare, are far larger than the alleged fraud of Bernard Madoff.

It won't be easy, but here are some basic steps.

  • Go for cash. We can't pressure the politicians if we're as debt-strapped as they've made the country. We need to do whatever it takes to eliminate the menace of credit card debt. We should make it a goal to pay all of our bills in full monthly and build enough equity in our homes that we can self-finance most outsize expenses. That means the end of a debt-driven consumer society.

    Our belt-tightening (read: lower standard of living) may last as long as five years.

    The lending industry won't like this. We may owe them money, but we don't owe them any consideration.

  • Be prepared. Most of us suffer from a misplaced trust that the world is a place of civility and continuity. It isn't. We need to keep a cash reserve large enough that we don't worry at every economic hiccup. As a practical matter, even if your cash reserve earns zero interest, it can produce an outsize return in smart, day-to-day purchases of used and bankruptcy sale goods.

  • Train yourself in self-reliance. Most Americans would be endangered if they lost their income for a month, their electricity for a week, or their access to a supermarket or gas station for a few days. We rediscover this in every major snowstorm or hurricane. We simply don't think about being able to sustain ourselves in our homes in the event of utility failures or worse.

    If you don't know where to start, let me suggest "Just in Case: How to Be Self-Sufficient When the Unexpected Happens" (Storey Publishing, $17). Written by Kathy Harrison, the book covers the basics of emergency preparedness for staying at home, or having to leave home quickly, in an easy 230 pages.

    Jack A. Spigarelli's "Crisis Preparedness Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide to Home Storage and Physical Survival" (Cross-Current Publishing, $20), goes further. It includes a brief section on firearms and ammunition.

    Scott Burns is a syndicated columnist. He can be reached scott@scottburns.com.

    © Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
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