Reddit mentions of The Guide to Living, Volume 1: Thoughts on Emergency Preparedness and Survival (The Guides To Living)

Well, I want to stress that you need to consider how much money that is and what it can earn you. If you're say, in your twenties then you have a golden opportunity. Hell, if you're older than that you're still in a good spot.

First consider what bank you are keeping the money in. Is it insured? Is it all in one account? Many banks only insure up to $100,000.

Second, consider inflation insurance in any of your investments. Especially bank accounts. There are bank accounts that offer this.

Third, consider whether you want growth or something else. You have to risk money to see high returns. Every investment is a risk, let no one tell you otherwise.

Depending your age, your options should be different. If you are retiring in 5-10 years, then you'll want less securities than if not. Either way, don't consider putting even half of your money in bonds or stocks. Let no one tell you different.

I want you to read a book.

It's titled "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham.

It was first published in 1949.

If you don't have an economics background except from context, or even if you do, check out the thoughts of Milton Friedman, personally I believe he is one of the most brilliant economists to ever live. Others have thought that too, he won the Nobel prize for economics.

Consider what your cost of living is now, as well. Could you buy land and a modular home or build your own home for a reasonable price? Overall would that be cheaper than paying for where you live for the next 15 years? Are you a simple-living type of person or does being self sufficient interest you? If so, /r/homestead or /r/SelfSufficiency might be for you.

Personally, if I were you this is what I'd do.

A) Decide if I have a good car for every use that I might have or want to have. If not, sell your current car and opt for one better for you needs or supplement your car with a truck. I'd buy the truck used, as new trucks that will do work run $30,000+. Pay cash unless you have reasonable but not great credit. Then pay mostly cash and build a little credit by buying the car if it is cost effective. Be diligent in this.

B) Settle every single one of your financial obligations. Debts and bills are a bad thing.

C) Build credit if you don't already have it.

D) Look into land purchases

E) Look out furthest first to what goals you have or can come up with. Look to retirement and not early retirement. Do you have enough money to now retire? If the inheritance is all you have, no. Okay, re-assess your situation for now, 5 years from now, 10 years from now, 20 years from now and all the way out until you retire. Figure out what you need to have done during each of those periods to meet your retirement goals. Your current retirement goal, beyond a house, car and expenses up until then should be around 1 million dollars. This is feasible for you, especially if you are young.

F) If you want to play with stocks or other securities, the most important thing that anyone trading is self control. That means not overbuying or buying more when the price drops. Make your decisions and stick to them. Do not make conditional decisions unless they fit orders. Like, sell if it drops a dollar is fine. Buying more of the same or another stock when you lose money on a given stock is not fine. However, keep in mind, most stocks that you've researched and buy will go back up if you didn't buy at a peak and even then sometimes they will. It's often better to wait it out and have the chance to lose $1 on each share of a $6 stock than miss out on gaining $3 on each share overall. Self control is key.

G) Don't invest in precious metals more than anyone else would. Even the survivalists who do invest in precious metals more than other people as a demographic only invest 5% to 10% if they're smart. If it loses money, you lose and you can neither eat, drive or trade gold easily. ;)

H) Talk to twenty people before making a decision. This may takes months or a year. I don't mean ask twenty people on reddit. Make a self-rule that you will talk to 15 people or 20 people (all who don't charge for a consultation or to talk to) before you invest in anything larger than 5% of your total money. I am very serious about this. Talking to 5 real estate agents, 5 day traders, 5 small businesspersons and 5 Internet marketers (or whatever career that takes money that you're interested in) is not talking to a lot of people to get an adequate sampling of opinions and advice. You'll thank yourself for it later.

Futhermore, talk to students and the like. Let me warn you, though. Whether you tell people you have money or not, many will ask to borrow money or suggest investments. Do not let your decisions to be based upon excitement and emotions unless a chick asks you our and the only decision you are making is to buy her dinner and a movie, then maybe a hotel room.

I) This is about you, not others. I resent my mother for it, but I understand why she has made and does makes decisions herself. I invited her to invest in Dell, Microsoft and Intel in 1994 through 1997 and she refused to. She lied to me about it later on, telling me she'd put all of her money into it. She had a trust a bit larger than yours. She'd be worth quite a bit now. I knew I wouldn't be wrong, but she didn't. It's no one's decision but yours, regardless of whether wrong or right. You'll regret investing more than you will not investing. Not investing can make you beat your fist and get drunk. Investing and losing it can turn you into a scarred and depressed person who hates their life.

J) Invest in what you know. Gold has gone from $30 an ounce in the 1950s or 1960s to $1,800 now. Consider that. I don't trust things that gain a great deal of money based upon experience. They fluctuate too. Look at silver, it's gone up higher than $40 and now is probably somewhere around $30. I don't know because I don't care because I don't invest things that change value up and down quickly. More than one man has become an alcoholic or given up on life when their investments have plummeted. Sadly, some have even killed themselves before their investments changed value near or past what they were worth when originally invested in.



Please don't hesitate to contact me sometime if you ever question an idea or investment of yours or advice someone has given you.

If you like, buy my book ($3) on the Amazon Kindle Marketplace. It's titled [The Guide To Living, Volume 1: Urban, Rural & Bush Living, Emergency Preparedness & Survival] (http://www.amazon.com/Guide-Living-Emergency-Preparedness-ebook/dp/B006KRIAPO). Click the title and check it out. Your best investment is your own life, your knowledge, your preparation and your well being. I also have a blog on survival, living and preparedness you might appreciate, blog.survive2.com. And a wiki here at survive2.com.