lukeduck wrote on 01/23/12 at 15:51:10:

You're just stocking up now?!
With the rising prices of copper (brass) and lead over the years, I've been stocking up any time I come across a good sale.

should I start buying ammo even if I don't own a gun. . .  or are cigarettes better for this new barter system . . .

OF, all kidding aside.
I have some but not all of my money in something called the Permanent Portfolio. Really saved my earnings when the bottom fell out of everything. It's a good long term fund.
I also have some dough in IPI (potash company) not doing great right now and I lost a chunk of change cuz I bought too early after they went public but my feeling is...everyone's gotta eat and the land can only support so much before the fertilizer industry is called upon to squeeze every last bit of grain from our overutilized soil...
just my 2 cents...no pun intended...

 
I think we are gonna see some really nasty 10-15% level inflation, the dollar will survive but not necessarily as the international default currency like it is today.

We may well see the $5-7 a gallon gas before the end of next year, mebbe, as that is the biggest currency shift point that is on the table now.

When it is all over, we will be more in line with the world "nominal" wage levels and our manufacturing will begin to return to the USA, slowly.   Our standard of living will be greatly reduced by that time.

I don't think I will have to defend my measly stocks of pinto beans with hot lead -- but I may have to collapse in with other family members into one of the larger houses so we can afford gasoline and heating oil/gas when we are all on Uncle Sam's retirement "wages".

I remember putting a wood stove into my first 2 houses -- really, it helped the monthly bills a lot it did.    Wood stoves, etc may become part of our lives again.

Who knows?

Back when the Savings & Loan stuff went down, people went to jail. Maybe not the ones at the very top, but certainly some very deserving people went to jail. This time,,?? No,,

I believe that the majority are allowing the "Normalcy Factor" to lull them onto simply believing things will work out. We've all seen dips & recoveries, dips & recoveries,, tho, no recovery in the last 40 years has lifted us back to the place we fell from. This time, if there IS a recovery at all, it will fail to restore us to where we were pre 2008 & if you recall, pre 2008 wasnt exactly the "easy to find a good paying job & live & have disposable income & save $$$" times of the 1960's.
Again, my G/pa had a 13 stool burger joint/snack bar in a grocery store in Houston. He ran it alone & closed only on Sunday. BUt, he paid the store a bit for being there, had a 2 B/R house which he added a B/R to, had a 2 car garage built, owned horses & leased the 40 acres adjoining so he could ride & he saved enough $$ to trade up in cars & buy himslef a little country store in Humble Texas.

So,, look at what a man with a good work ethic can accomplish today in comparison.

The point is, look at the DIRection we are headed in economically. Take Note of it. Prepare accordingly.

Now, WHY this is happening is a TT discussion, but that it IS happening is a purely economic point.

Also, remember that there has yet to be a fiat currency that Did Not Fail.

Consider that since 1913, when the Fed came into being, the purchasing power of the dollar has been eaten UP, but I can still but gasoline for less than 20 cents, as long as I use 2 old dimes.

I can buy a fine 3 piece suit for 60 dollars, as long as I use the very same currency we had in 1920,$20 gold coins, people Carried Gold Coins in their pockets,,think about how things have changed, & not for the better.
& change continues, & no one is changing the policies that are causing the changes, so, the direction WILL continue.

Only One Man who is in a position to influence policy BACK toward the way things were Will do it & thats Ron Paul.

Since no one has a crystal clear crystal ball, the most conservative thing to do investment-wise, is to put your money in a diversified mix of investments.  For example, mine is 15% stock-based mut funds, 20% commodity funds, 20% muni bond funds, 20% TIPs based funds, 20% in TIPS, and the rest cash.  Those percentages are approximate and are about to be rebalanced next month.  This mix won't make a lot annually, but it won't lose much either if things go south.  At my age, I'm much more concerned about losing what I have, than building on it.

If things are gonna get as bad as you guys are predicting, then I'm not sure I want to be around for all that. I'm not really ambitious enough to plan for and worry about it that much. As far as ammo goes, I think one bullet will be enough. Then they can all fight over whatever I leave behind.

AL