Review of Spiraling Downward: Thinking About and Planning for Economic Collapse

Review by Scott P

MD Creekmore, I appreciate that you, your readers, and the people submitting content add value to the prepper community as a whole. Not only does your site provide know how and skills, but it’s become a community where people help each other. We often prepare for different reasons, but the steps we take for those reasons are often the same. This brings people of various politics, belief systems, hopes and fears together.

The potential for economic collapse is a common reason why people prepare. A basic look at, and understanding of state, national or global economic news, it’s obvious why. To the extent that I can help add value to the prepper community, I’d like to offer a brief review of Spiraling Downward: Thinking About and Planning for Economic Collapse for your consideration. It’s a newer book I found while surfing the pages of Amazon. I found the content enlightening and informative. Others may, too.

The book stands on the basis that the United States has had two economic blows in less than a decade (dot com and real estate bubbles), and that should we suffer another, the country could begin “spiraling downward” and what that might look like, from an economic perspective. Given the financial, economic and societal challenges we still face (national and global), it’s entirely possible that we could, or will, face another economic blow.

From that understanding, Spiraling Downward begins with describing a market crash, what it is, early warning signs, and how to prepare for it. The book then takes the reader through a further downward spiral, through a credit crunch, job market collapse, economic transitions, turmoil and breakdown. It asks the reader to assess his or her own financial situation, values and skills. It tells you what to look for in economic news, early warning signs.

Single Biggest Pro: Spiraling Downward describes complex economic theory in easy-to-understand language. For me anyway, when I hear about things like credit crunches, derivatives, creation of market bubbles, global corporate default rates, etc., my eyes start to gloss over. This book boils all of that down so now not only do my eyes no longer gloss over, but I can actually take part in a conversation about it.

Single Biggest Con: The book assumes the reader has some net worth to speak of, assets and investments. Readers of a blog focused on budget prepping may not find information about what to do with their money under certain economic conditions very practical. Or maybe it’s that some “budget preppers” have a fair sum of money, but don’t see the need to overspend on preparedness items when skills and basic items work just fine.

Regardless of the con, the book also describes assets as “personal assets, both financial and non-financial.” In other words – your personal skillset is an asset. It talks about job skills, job sectors that weather poor economies better, retraining, etc. The ability to continue bringing a paycheck home during tough financial times is perhaps the single most important prepper skill to have. From that perspective, the book presents valuable information whether there is another full blown economic depression, or a less difficult economic recession.

I think The Wolf Pack would consider the information in Spiraling Downward: Thinking About and Planning for Economic Collapse helpful to have.

Review of Spiraling Downward: Thinking About and Planning for Economic Collapse is a post from: The Survivalist Blog.net

This article has been contributed by The Survivalist Blog.net. Visit TheSurvivalistBlog.net for alternative news, survival tips, commentary and preparedness info.