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Rusty's avatar

File this under IMPORTANT! Or TOP PRIORITY!

Wow! That’s a lot to digest! I can tell I need to reeducate myself on this subject. Thank you for this very informative article.

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Critical Resistance's avatar

Glad you found it useful. I hope it reinforces that there’s a lot we can do—this isn’t something we have to just watch happen. The more we understand, the more we can act.

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Black Raven's avatar

Sheesh, no kidding! 😂😂😂 Too much effing information WTF?! However, I took snap shots of what I thought was more important." 😮‍💨🤪

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Critical Resistance's avatar

Take what you need! Print it out, highlight what resonates, and share it however you can.

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Robot Bender's avatar

I restocked it immediately. We're already starting to implement some of your suggestions from earlier posts.

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Critical Resistance's avatar

That’s exactly what this is for—practical action, not just theory. Great to hear you’re putting some of the strategies into practice. Keep us posted on how it goes!

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Rebecca's avatar

Thank you. I’ve been asking our financial planner about this and getting platitudes. Im watching the deregulation in my own industry and want to prepare, but I can’t find easy information about setting up offshore banking accounts, and it looks like Revolut and Wise are still FDIC insured. I’d love more articles on the specifics of those sorts of protections as well.

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Wonders Why's avatar

I spoke to my financial guy today and he said I could send the articles to his personal email. Somewhere I read that typical Trump fans included small scale local financial guys like him, along with contractors, and i fogot the third one...my mechanic and dentist for sure, and some older supermarket cashiers I know. He was clueless about everything I regurgitated from the FDIC and other article. I hope he reads it and it blows his mind.

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gangemi's avatar

Thank you so much. If we do open an account in a Canadian bank, do we do it with an American check? Money order? Cash? I'm assuming the account has to be opened in Canada and not a Canadian bank in the US? Thanks again. You also mentioned that credit unions might be safer. Who holds the NCUA? Isn't that also a government entity? Sorry about all the questions!

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Sarah Catherine Worley's avatar

A small town bank like Trustco Bank who has never taken a bail out… And let me ask you this… why would you want to put your hard earned money in a Canadian bank account.. look what they did to the Canadian truck drivers .. they froze their bank accounts…and they couldn’t pay their bills or feed their families…pay their rent or mortgages or utilities….and what would happen if the SHTF and you couldn’t get your money out of the Canadian bank… just something to ponder.. I would have a stocked pantry and a garden .. and a Honda generator .. gasoline or diesel… a well stocked wood pile.. and a solar generator…water filtration system and bottles of water .. medications, etc.. emergency medical kit… herb books.. a set of Fox Fire books… the list is long … and I would have enough cash stashed for any emergency.. and also have enough Cash ( small bills and gold and silver..) for 1 year or more.. and I would have items to barter and trade with … with your friends ..family and neighbors… because what would happen if we had an EMP attack .. and the grid was down for 6 months to a year.. and yes!! I agree.. A credit union is good for one’s banking needs… but if the system is down everyone is SOL.. so tell me if all systems are down how are you going to get your money?

Be like the Amish ..like yesterday ..and then you need to be like the Mormons and find your tribe… of like minded people. Good luck everyone 👍

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Kathryn Busch's avatar

By the way,your articles are impressive!,,❤️

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Nicole Rot's avatar

What about retirement accounts that we cannot withdraw from without penalties? Redistribute funds to different accounts to maintain less than $250K?

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Critical Resistance's avatar

That’s a good question, and one that’s highly personal based on individual financial situations. A financial professional that you trust to understand your concerns around this would be the best resource to explore options for retirement accounts while minimizing penalties. The key is understanding your own level of risk tolerance and making decisions that align with your long-term stability.

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Nicole Rot's avatar

That’s the question… is there any long term stability? My “guy” said the markets are fine, there is enough money to back it up. But it seems like such a narrow view.

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Critical Resistance's avatar

It really is. What we define as ‘stability’ has already shifted, and mainstream financial perspectives tend to focus on short-term reassurance rather than long-term structural risks. Everyone is struggling to figure out what this will mean while working in roles that require us to exhibit confidence.

I think it’s worth considering multiple perspectives, especially in moments like this, but ultimately, everyone has to determine what level of risk they’re willing to tolerate.

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Robot Bender's avatar

Ask questions and be persistent, if necessary. Don't take any platitudes.

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Teri ponder's avatar

I guess a follow up to this is can they take these retirement funds or put a freeze on these also ? Can we move these funds to, let’s say, Canada or offshore even though we aren’t 59.5 yet???

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Sunny Bradshaw's avatar

Good questions! Husband retired just yesterday - bad timing!?! (Apr 1st) Already so much we don't know...

(Then came Trump &/Musk). (Unstable &/sociopath)

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Sunny Bradshaw's avatar

I"d like to move the money to Canada if it's safe!

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Marilyn Nosal's avatar

I moved 60% of my retirement funds into international mutual funds. The remaining 40% into bonds and stable accounts.

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Barry's avatar

Was this based on advice from your financial advisor or your own initiative. All I get are platitudes as I feel dread at what is coming.

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Marilyn Nosal's avatar

No, I read Umar Haque who is a renown economist… he mentioned there are ways to safeguard and even make money as the government devolves. I inferred international markets would be a better haven than the our mutual funds. Time will tell but I think really rich people know what to do. I am shooting in the dark.

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Barry's avatar

Thank you for the response. I will look him up,

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HSofia's avatar

You can look into converting IRA into precious metals.

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Marilyn Nosal's avatar

It’s a deferred compensation account so I am penalized taking the $ out early. Maybe I should anyway.

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Julia Sheehy's avatar

Grateful for your generosity - sharing this trove of wisdom with us freely. Bless you and THANKS very much. This is exactly what I needed to read

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Critical Resistance's avatar

Julia, that means so much. I’m grateful that this resonated with you and that it came at the right time. We’re all in this together, and I’m honored to share what I can. Thank you for taking the time to express your appreciation!

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Cindi McCormack's avatar

Banks can’t be trusted. They have proven that over and over.

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Tom Colucci's avatar

Very valuable information. Much to learn. Take it one step at a time!

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Mary Derrig's avatar

Thank you, this is very informative

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Holly A's avatar

Thank you for providing this. This prompted me to immediately start diversifying our accounts.

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Mar 8
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Holly A's avatar

The goal is *not* to keep all of your “liquid assets” (cash) with one institution, like a national or international bank (ex: Capital One, Wells Fargo, Citi Bank, Chase, etc). Ways to diversify include:

- Funding an account with Wise (app) and using it to hold non-US Dollar currencies. The article recommends currencies like Japanese Yen or Norwegian Kroner. We chose Canadian Dollars because we plan to relocate to Canada so I can attend business school. We do not plan to hold all of our funds in this account, because even this one can be subjected to the federal government freezing funds.

- Withdrawing small amounts of cash to cover food, medicine, gas, and travel for emergency situations, such as digital transaction systems going offline. We’ll probably withdraw $5-10k over 4 months.

Essentially, we are planning to only use our current domestic accounts to cover our mortgage, car payment, and credit card transactions. We did discuss purchasing gold/silver, but ultimately decided against it for now. We have other things we could barter if the dollar falls apart.

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HarrisWalz FTW 2024's avatar

How are normal people supposed to keep track of something like this?!

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Critical Resistance's avatar

I hear you. The reality is, people are going to have to take on new roles and rely on each other more than ever. We can’t depend on institutions to look out for us—they’ve shown where their priorities lie.

The good news is, the more we track and share information, the more we build networks of support. No one can do it alone, but together, we’re harder to keep in the dark.

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HarrisWalz FTW 2024's avatar

Thanks. Our main banking is already with a credit union, so I'll have to hope that that's a plus. We've been able to put some aside for retirement, but when I expressed concern to our financial advisor and his sidekick last year about the upcoming elections, they told me it didn't matter whether a Democrat or Republican was president, it would all even out. The one guy said "I'm not political" (which could have been code for "I'm voting for Trump"), and the other guy assured me that checks and balances would take care of everything. Yeah, right. They basically patted me on the head and told me everything would be fine. Working well so far, isn't it? Sigh.........

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Kirstin's avatar

Sounds like you need a new financial advisor who listens to you…

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HarrisWalz FTW 2024's avatar

Researching that is on a very long to-do list. Both my spouse and I have had a lot of health issues that have prevented that so far. We do know someone whose husband used to be in that line of work, and she has told us that he all but said he thinks money is all people in that business care about. Sure, they're supposed to, but not with blinders on.

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Kirstin's avatar

Sorry to hear about the health issues and too much on your plate…I understand, health comes first always. I’ve seen you can find verified CFPs in your area if you look up smart asset - it’s reputable but maybe interview a couple of people. I’ve been burned once already, so I understand it’s hard to find the right person too. Good luck to you!

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HarrisWalz FTW 2024's avatar

Thanks. I may have to back away from this--all of this--for a few days for my mental health.

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Kirstin's avatar

I’m sorry to hear you have too many things on your plate. Health always

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Libby's avatar

How do you monitor where banks are moving their funds?

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Catherine Mosier's avatar

How do you track some of these changes? Specifically, how would I know if a bank moved money offshore?

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Artwire's avatar

Thoughts on treasury funds? Presumably safer (if FDIC abolished) than individual banks, but easier to lock down access if the powers that be wish to do so. Treasury.gov accounts are linked to banks, anyway, which seems like a potential point of failure. Thoughts on brokerage insurance vs FDIC ? T-notes and bills? 💵

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Kathryn Busch's avatar

Thank you!!! It is a lot to digest! Who is writing these articles? The only “ critical Resistance” organization that I could find was about prison reforms.

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Critical Resistance's avatar

Appreciate you reading!

The work stands on its own—what matters is the information, not the person behind it. One of the biggest things we have to break is the idea that authority figures are inherently trustworthy. Critical thinking starts with verifying sources and recognizing patterns, not relying on individuals to tell us the truth.

In times like these, it’s safer for those warning others to remain focused on the message rather than becoming the story.

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Susan's avatar

I appreciate the value of your anonymity, but how do we know that your information is trustworthy?

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Critical Resistance's avatar

Look at sources, independently verify, and read about any referenced historical event—see if you start recognizing the patterns for yourself.

I’m not doing anything but tying together events in a way that gives people a clearer picture. The goal isn’t to trust me; it’s to build the habit of questioning, verifying, and understanding the systems at play.

If something I’ve written doesn’t hold up under scrutiny, it should be discarded. But if it does, then the focus should be on what to do with that knowledge, not who wrote it.

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Robot Bender's avatar

FWIW, I've been reading history for a long time. It's a hobby of mine. Some of the signs that history teaches are already starting to appear.

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Sunny Bradshaw's avatar

I noticed that too

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Elle J's avatar

Would having a person’s name render it more trustworthy?

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Sunny Bradshaw's avatar

Not to me. It could be dangerous to do so, esp right now!

It's the info that matters, the steps & the signs, red flags, etc...& knowing what to look for, what banks & $$ institutions typically have done B4; timetable & clues +what options we have for protecting what money we can! Husband & I are in mid-60s; he retired as of yesterday ~ confusing time for us already as we adjust. I have NO retirement income ~ had $700,000 inheritance from my Dad, but stolen by his evil caregiver in small town OR. (I live in CA, found out too late what she'd done!) So, we need to be xtra careful with his pension & these articles are very helpful! C.R. is good enuff way to reference the knowledgable writer & keep them safe too. Let the info speak for itself.

...IMHO

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Sunny Bradshaw's avatar

Indeed! 🎯🎯🎯

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Susan's avatar

No, I did not ask for their name.

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Jare L. Schneider's avatar

It would be great to know if the banking crisis is looming what are the politicians, and the billionaires doing to protect themselves, and cannot trickle down to most Americans….

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