Introduction

Modern western societies are highly dependent on global and domestic supply chains to deliver fuel, food, medicines and goods and services. Our supply chains are extremely complex and are largely supported by an orderly social structure (low crime) and advanced infrastructure (roads, bridges and international shipping). An enormous amount of items we regularly buy and use are produced overseas, making us dependent on other countries. Global and local commerce is also dependent on a functioning banking system and trade.

We are in in a time of significant transition, both domestically and internationally. On the international front the US hegemony and US dollar dominance is being challenged. We are knee deep in significant conflicts across the globe, and our enemies are exploiting the current open border policies.

At the end of the day we believe the risks associated with supply chain and financial disruptions have risen to a point where it is necessary and prudent for individuals and families to build a buffer against supply-chain and banking/financials shocks, as we believe that the government will not be able to meet your needs in the event short, medium or longer-term disruptions.

In our view, prepared and informed citizens are in a place to substantially benefit themselves and their communities.

Wise Citizen's primary goals are to:

• Provide you with pertinent information on a range of topics so you can get a better understanding of core economic, international and security issues facing the US and western countries

• Help you identify risks and offer practical knowledge and solutions that you can use to quickly create and execute a plan to mitigate those risks

• Encourage you to act, and to share this information with others

The Information Gap

There is wide gap in media coverage on topics of great importance. Much of the current news is skewed toward 'narratives' opinions and corporate agendas. Facts or opinions without context (other events, history) limit our understanding making us unable to see trends and problems, and to have a better grasp the circumstances we find ourselves in. You can't plan for something you don't see coming.

Over the last 20 years, we spent considerable time studying the global financial system, including its history, cycles benefits and failures. This led us to look at the recent economic collapses and examine banking systems, currency/inflation and supply chain disruptions and then to a basic risk assessment of how well we would do if similar events occurred to us. At the top of the list was lack of food (we would run out quickly), security (crime increases when people go hungry), lack of and/or access to money in and outside the bank, supply chain issues and irregular power production (black/brownouts) and fuel. If you have must-have prescriptions, you can add those to the top of your list.

We learned a lot and are sharing what we learned, hoping you will take the time to build a plan to avoid potentially catastrophic issues that could have been easily mitigated with some forethought.

Current State of Affairs

We are in a time of unusual global stress, particularly as the US / Western countries are losing their dominate position in global affairs. US and other western governments are highly indebted, and the financial systems are fragile. Many banks are in poor financial condition. Currency devaluation (aka inflation) is a new feature of the US dollar and other fiat currencies, and will continue to be a problem as long as .gov spending and debt spiral out of control.

We are in the beginning of a global recession. While not unusual, this tends to put pressure on .gov to provide additional support to those in need, further adding to the deficit.

Both the Stock and Housing markets are at all time highs, and the 20%+ inflation introduced in the last 3 years has put people under significant financial pressure (seen via the explosion of credit card debt). Huge layoffs are beginning to occur. At some point the bubbles will pop, asset prices will decline as they have every other time we have been in these circumstances.

As many have opined, we are on the cusp of World War 3. Let's sincerely pray this is not the case. Russia has made it very clear it will not tolerate NATO supplying the Ukraine with certain types of medium range missiles, yet we continue to push this topic. Russia has indicated that doing so will be considered an act of war.

We are in a situation where things are and can quickly turn. Hurricane Helene and the Israeli / Iran war are current examples. For a historical recap, see Mike Maloney video "Bank Run: The Eerie Similarities of 1929 Crash and Today." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCjWdAEh-EU. History repeats itself.

How to Prepare

Be Informed ~!: There are sections on the site that have links to videos from individuals who in our estimation are sensible and consistent in the presentation of their views. These cover a range of topics. Other links are have information that provide information that is mostly absent from the Western 'corporate' media, particularly relating to economics, domestic and global events. The videos are provided to help you build context for your plan.

Understand Vulnerabilities and Dependencies: Modern life is highly dependent on a functioning power grid, as this is the base for communications (cell/internet), oil refining, heating/cooling, fresh water distribution, operation of sewer facilities, power to run the gas pumps and grocery store operations. Our supply chains are built around this capability. We will be asking you to examine your dependencies and develop work-arounds/plans should there be disruption in core services and supply chain problems. You may be shocked to learn that most cell towers do not have backup power except for 911 calls.

Take Action: Besides informational videos, some links are provided to specific items on Amazon so you can get more information and/or reduce the amount of time you spend locating materials. The link doesn't mean you should 'buy that one' - but rather something similar if it fits your needs.

Please note that waiting for a crises or event to secure items may well leave you out in the cold as there is some % of the population that knows what to focus on buying. Many retail outlets will quickly run out of stock.

Anything you do to prepare is better than nothing!

Become self-reliant and encourage members of your community to do the same

Government response in a crisis is always slow unless the crisis is localized. Don't depend on .gov.

Getting Started: Developing context: Besides the information on this page, there are number of video links that are designed to give you important historical context necessary for you to understand some of the Financial topics which are key to understanding the rationale for you taking action sooner v. later.

1). Read "Setting the Stage" below.

2). Watch "Be Informed" "Financial Topics: Banking" and watch the 1st - 2 - videos

3). Read the section CASH IS KING in the Fast Start Shopping List.

4).

Volunteer Effort: This site is a volunteer effort focused more on content than format. Some of the video content may 'age out' and may become less relevant over time. We will try to keep things updated, but we are not a 'news' site and cannot vouch for the currency or opinions of the linked videos. If you disagree with something that's fine - look for the gold in the sand and use the discussion to gain insight. Certain content providers have impressed us as being on-the-ball and on topic and we leverage these where possible. If we are less sure of the purveyor, we may state that with the provided link as "Context/FYI" or similar notation.

Setting the Stage

As mentioned, we are living during a period of time where the "old order" dominated by the US and Western countries is being directly challenged by Russia, China a new consortium of countries known as the BRICS. Russia has clearly stated NATO and the US will be at war with Russia if we allow the Ukraine to use western mid-range missiles to attack Russia. NATO, lead by the US, seems intent on provoking Russia into a broader war and is, in our opinion, playing a very dangerous game with unforeseeable consequences.

Historically, failing governments often embroil themselves in conflicts (start wars) and take advantage of crises to pass legislation that typically removes freedoms (movement, speech, financial repression) and resources (confiscation) from their citizens..

Global Supply Chains: The Houthi's in Yemen have substantially curtailed shipping through the Suez Canal, meaning higher costs to transport from Asia to Europe. China has been increasingly vocal about (forced) 'reunification' with Taiwan. The US has a defense treaty with Taiwan. Should war break out we think this will be materially disruptive to supply chains with accompanying shortages and price increases. Most people are unaware that the majority of pharmaceuticals / drugs and ingredients are not produced in the US. And most 'green energy' components are manufactured outside of the US.

US government Spending & Debt: With $35 Trillion dollars of on book debt and adding an astonishing $1 Trillion (that's 1000 Billion dollars) every 90-100 days , we are in no position to meet our 'unfunded' domestic obligation (like social security) let alone take on an additional wars or big programs. Before you continue we recommend you take an hour and watch the documentary End of the Road: How Money Became Worthless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Co_tVd9gA2I - as this explains how we managed to get ourselves to this place, and is probably the first thing you want to know, as it creates context for many topics on this site.

Common with the late stages of fiat currency collapses (the US dollar is a 'fiat' currency) increasing debt issuance is the preferred method for handling budgetary problems. Eventually too many dollars causes inflation and reduces the value of the currency. As you will have noticed, inflation not only confiscates more of your paycheck but erodes the value of your savings and assets as paychecks do not keep up with inflation. Inflation in a fiat system is the equivalent of a tax.

Our forecast is for continued and possibly rapid/sudden devaluation of the US dollar. We have lost 20-25% of US dollar value in the past 3 years. Inflation rates, while having moderated (Oct-2024) will move up and down during this process, so don't be lulled into security by .gov statistics and prognostications when it moves down temporarily. Without fundamental change in the picture inflation will continue on a zig-zag upward chart trajectory.

The Global Banking System : While they do a good job trying to hide this information from the public, the banking system is in considerably worse condition than it was in 2008. Banks continue to stack up ridiculous levels of derivative contracts (hundreds of trillions). If these 'bets' fail, and they will during a global financial crisis, the banks in the US are allowed to pass their losses to depositors and taxpayers. This is thanks to the Dodd-Frank bill. Banking instability is being causes by 1) holding US bonds/bills as part of their bank reserves (now underwater because the Fed raised interest rates so rapidly), 2) Commercial Real Estate "CRE" is losing value, and 3) losses on home mortgages are piling up. Our opinion is there will be significant bank failures and consolidations particularly if the recession triggers losses in the insane derivative positions held by our "must bail out" "too big to fail" banks such as Chase, Bank of America, etc.

US Dollar Competition : The BRICS countries will be rolling out a new trade currency called The Unit. If the BRICS do what they intend, this trade currency will be 40% backed by Gold. In case you are unaware, the US dollar, Euro, Yen and other currencies are not backed by anything. Take 15 minutes to ramp up on what the BRICS countries are. Their strategy is to unseat and degrade the US global dominance.

There has been a very significant move by countries and central banks globally to buy Gold as it is now considered a Tier-1 asset. Gold is now money again (legally) and this fact has sent the price of gold from around $1500 to $2650/oz in the last 7 years, with about 1/4 of that gain since Feb 2024 ($2100/oz).

US Domestic Security : In the US, the FBI has repeatedly told Congress in 2023/24 that we are at the highest risk of domestic security problems (terrorism) since the 9-11 attack. We have allowed millions of unvetted immigrants into the US, including a steady stream of military-age Chinese nationals (men mostly) into the US. Lax border control has allowed Mexican Cartels and recently Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua have set up shop all over the US (the state of Texas recently declared the latter as a terrorist organization in Sept 2024). Human trafficking in the US is at an all time high. The US government, but its own admission, has lost track of over 300,000 minors who entered the US.

Security: Due to reduction in police forces in many cities after the death of George Floyd, and a not-subtle refusal by some prosecutors to not pursue offenders, crime frequently goes unpunished contributing to significant degradation of safety and services in many large US cities. As if domestic homeless wasn't already a major issue, significant and avoidable pressure on housing has erupted as we try to find accommodation for asylum seekers, many of whom are dropped off by the Federal government into communities, seemingly with little consideration of the consequences.

The Globalist Agenda: To provide context and make sense of current events, you need to be aware there are organizations and people that have been functioning for decades that have goals and objectives that, upon inspection, are likely to not be in your best interest. The term "New World Order" which was more prevalent in the 1980s, is seems to have been absorbed by the "World Economic Forum" (WEF) and their policies. Their ability to infiltrate and install WEF trained people in high political positions is shocking.

This group of global elites have very specific agendas, which are published and you can read (we have some links). The WEF organization is over 50 years old is not speculative or a conspiracy theory. You can watch videos of their conferences on the internet. WEF aligned leaders have infiltrated many western countries and are pushing an agenda that concentrates power in the hands of the few and is, despite the rhetoric, remarkably undemocratic in nature.

Unfortunately WEF members and aligned people are at the helm of central banks, wall street, the Federal Reserve and regulatory agencies. They have a plan. They have spent decades changing laws to financially benefit themselves at the expense of the public, and their plan includes "Central Bank Digital Currencies" (CBDCs) which they intend to implement. CBDCs are "programmable tokens/money" - which allow the token holder to determine what you can do with the funds. Money with Strings attached. Western governments will claim this is to "eliminate terror" or "drug cartel" activity. The Chinese use CBDCs to control dissent. We will let you draw your own conclusions as to how you think such a system might be used and mis-used by your government (all levels).

We think it likely that these parties will push CBDCs into replacing the dollar / euro, during an actual or manufactured financial crisis. They have the systems mostly in place. They introduced invasive spying on citizens via the misnamed US Patriot Act and the coup de grace to citizen sovereignty.