Nicole Foss of Canada and Laurence Boomert of New Zealand are on an extensive North American speaking tour. We met up with them in Vancouver, BC and videoed a walloping lively conversation.
Nicole, the senior editor of The Automatic Earth, is a brilliant economic analyst revealing what’s ahead in this century. She makes the big picture about the money economy clear unlike anyone we’ve met. We’re into the age of limits, she says. What we’ll see first is a big financial bust as the massive global credit bubble bursts. Values go down. Depression. After the bust, there will be fewer dollars circulating. Nicole says liquidity will be what matters — having dollars you can spend for necessities.
Laurence enthusiastically follows up with examples of empowered responses on a community level. The founder of the Bank of Real Solutions says “get your local currencies circulating!” Use them to pay for local goods and services. Strengthen and support local businesses. Provide ways for “under-utilized” people to pitch in what they can. Build our social capital — our relationships with one another.
This dynamic duo are a great team. The picture could look bleak. Yes, individuals can build a financial lifeboat to cope with the difficulties ahead (see below). But as they point out, we need each other, we need our community. Laurence shines a light saying, humans seem to be at their creative best when responding to crises. There are all kinds of creative possibilities turning into realities. Jump on board ahead of the crises! (If you want more, they’re producing a DVD from their tour presentations.)
How to Build a Financial Lifeboat
1) Hold no debt (for most people this means renting)
2) Hold cash and cash equivalents (short term treasuries) under your own control
3) Don’t trust the banking system, deposit insurance or no deposit insurance
4) Sell equities, real estate, most bonds, commodities, collectibles (or short if you can afford to gamble)
5) Gain some control over the necessities of your own existence if you can afford it
6) Be prepared to work with others as that will give you far greater scope for resilience and security
7) If you have done all that and still have spare resources, consider precious metals as an insurance policy
8) Be worth more to your employer than he is paying you
9) Look after your health!
Smart Choices for Meeting the Coming Bust, part 1 (episode 253) and part 2 (episode 254).