We’ve been here before… layoffs and threats of layoffs. Living in an aircraft manufacturing city, layoffs seem to be a way of life around here. Times get tough… folks get laid off, other businesses suffer because of all the unemployed workers, jobs are hard to find, and eventually things get better. At least they have in the past.

The more things “change”, the more they seem to stay the same.

I decided years ago to do what I could to get off that merry-go-round boom-bust cycle that somebody else controlled. It’s just “nuts” to put our personal economic well-being in some other person’s hands.

I recommend that everybody learn how to earn a living for themselves, even if it’s only supplemental to working a J.O.B. Some people refer to it as a “Plan B”. Whatever you call it, I believe you’ve got to take more personal responsibility and control over your own life so when the difficult times come (and they do), you don’t have to suffer as much.

If you learn an alternate way to earn money besides from your employer, you will be heads and shoulders above the average person. The Internet has provided me an excellent way to earn without being beholden to a boss.

Is it easy? I’d be lying if I said it was. It takes time to learn and it takes commitment to stick with it until it does pay off. But, how is that any different from a job or anything else we do? If people would just treat their home business like they do their job – things like doing the best you can with the tools provided, learning new tasks, and showing up for work on time every day – there would not be the miserable failure rate that seems common in the home based business industry.

After getting laid off is probably not the ideal time to get started with your Plan B, however, if that’s where you find yourself now… there is no better time to get started. Certainly, if you do still have a job, great. Use that to your advantage to leverage the income you’re earning to hold you over while you launch a new home based business. Plus, there are some excellent tax advantages to employed people who start a home business.

I don’t imagine the employment situation is going to be getting much better in the next year or so. In fact, it’s probably going to get a whole lot worse. People today are genuinely worried about losing their jobs to AI, and you can’t blame them — the pace of change is unlike anything we’ve seen before. Entire industries are being reshaped, tasks that used to take hours are now done in minutes, and companies are openly talking about “automation efficiency” as a replacement for human labor. It’s creating real anxiety for workers who feel like they’re being pushed into a future they didn’t choose. Underneath it all is a simple fear: What happens when the technology becomes cheaper than the employee? That’s the tension people are living with right now, and it’s reshaping the way they think about work, security, and the future.

I’ve been warning about inflation for years, so nothing we’re seeing today surprises me. Some people are even talking about the possibility of hyperinflation — the kind of runaway prices we saw in the Weimar Republic or in Zimbabwe, where costs doubled in hours, not months. I’m not saying it will get that extreme, but with the amount of money our government has pumped into the system — and with no sign of slowing down — it’s hard to imagine we won’t feel the consequences in ways most folks don’t want to acknowledge. You simply can’t spend trillions without expecting the bill to come due.

Precious Metals

Twenty five or so years ago I heard people talking about the perilous path our economy was taking. They talked about how international bankers were taking over our economy and how the Federal Reserve was part of a so-called conspiracy. They suggested buying physical gold and silver to preserve the wealth they had. Well, I didn’t listen then. I thought they were a bunch of kooks with some pretty wild ideas.

Had I listened to those so-called conspiracy theorists and done what they suggested… I’d be pretty wealthy today. Gold was about $35 an ounce back then… today it’s over $4,200 an ounce. Silver was about $1.95 an ounce… today it’s around $63 an ounce. Do the math and I think you’ll see those kooks might have been on to something.

And let’s be honest: the warnings about our economy and the Federal Reserve have been pretty accurate. We’re watching our government funnel billions — even trillions — of dollars into institutions that are considered “too big to fail,” while everyday Americans are left holding the bag.

People are losing their homes to the same financial giants being bailed out. Retirement accounts, 401(k)s, and long‑term investments have taken hits so deep that recovery could take years — if recovery even happens.

What we’re witnessing isn’t just mismanagement… it’s a massive transfer of wealth. A kind of financial looting that makes the Madoff scandal look small by comparison. And it’s happening in plain sight.

All that and more led me to research a little more about money… what it is and how it works, and let me tell you, my eyes have been opened wide. I’m listening now.

If you’ve been listening to the crap those buffoons in Washington are spewing out or what the bobbleheads on the TV news is reporting, all I can say is, you haven’t got a clue about what is going on. Those folks are sheep herders leading their flocks to slaughter.

About the Credit Mess We’re In

We’re watching the credit system crack right in front of us — and honestly, it’s no surprise. For years, the whole machine has been built on one thing: pushing people to borrow more. Borrow against your home. Borrow on your credit cards. Borrow to cover last month’s bills. Just keep borrowing.

But that’s exactly how we landed in this credit mess. We stacked debt on top of debt until the whole thing became unstable. Now people are shocked that credit is freezing up — but maybe that’s the wake‑up call we needed.

We don’t need more credit. We need less debt. We need to stop feeding a system that only works when we’re drowning in loans. That’s true for everyday families… and it’s true for our country.

I’m Mad as Hell

If you’re old enough, you might remember seeing the 1976 movie called “Network“. If you were to watch that movie today, you’ll be amazed at how prophetic is was at the time. Get a copy and see if you don’t agree. One of the many takeaways I discovered in the movie was the quote from the character Howard Beale, “I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!“

I’m no longer collecting (saving, etc.) those all-but-worthless paper credits most people call dollars. In fact, they are not even dollars. Do you think you know what a dollar is? Read my article about money to learn what a dollar REALLY is.

Nope… any paper credits I get are being traded in for physical silver coins and bullion, and a little gold.

Well folks, I am as mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore. Getting out of debt, owning my own home based business, and putting the profits into gold and silver is just another way I’m taking personal responsibility and control over my financial future, and I would recommend you do the same.

Remember, you’ve got to get mad!

Economic uncertainty is a reminder that we cannot always control what happens around us, but we can take steps to prepare. Reducing unnecessary debt, building an emergency fund, developing useful skills and exploring additional sources of income can help create more options when times get difficult.

For me, financial preparedness is about taking responsibility, making thoughtful decisions and being ready to adapt when circumstances change. It isn’t about predicting the next crisis. It’s about being better prepared for whatever comes next.