I'm sure you've heard that saying before. This age old passage is at the top of the list of things to do and not to do when it comes to your personal finances. I'm admittedly not an expert but know well enough to position myself in such a manner that if a portion of my investments falters, another portion will rise in value so that any losses are minimized. This article is intended as advice only. It is up to you and only you to make sound judgments regarding your finances.

Everyone is in a different financial situation. Especially with the pandemic of the last year and a half, many people around the world were severely and adversely affected but the shutdowns / lockdowns. There has never been another time where the entire world was going through the exact same thing. At this time, it is more important than ever to ensure your financial health is stable so that you and your family have a bright future.

The one thing you should never do is put all your money in one basket. Never leave all your cash in a savings account. Interest rates are at all time lows. By that, I mean that historically, going back 5,000 years, interest rates have never been this low for your savings. It's definitely a good idea to leave some cash in the bank to pay the bills online, etc..

Never bet all your money on the stock market. I would suggest not more than 10% of your available cash at the moment because of the extreme volatility of stocks and a possible crash of epic proportions in the near future. Not betting on the stock market at all is probably a better choice for most people as I believe there is a lot of manipulation going on perpetrated by big time players.

You're probably wondering, 'Well, where should I put it then?'. That is the golden question for today.

Real estate is a good place to start, primarily farm land but we all know real estate prices have gone stratospheric so how can we afford such properties. Well, if you're looking for farm land just outside a huge city, then yes, you'll pay through the nose but there are some jurisdictions that are actually paying newcomers to move into their localities in order to increase their population. Some offer to pay a portion of the mortgage if you agree to move there and stay for at least a certain amount of time, such as 5 or 10 years. Doing a detailed search on the internet will help you in your quest to own your own land. I myself purchased a quarter acre lot in New Brunswick, Canada last December and payed just $7,200 CDN, including all lawyer fees and land registration. The yearly property tax is $140, can you believe it?

My most recent article, 'Price inflation... price inflation everywhere' details just that. We are in an inflationary environment that I believe could turn hyper-inflationary at any moment because of all the unprecedented central bank money printing all around the world. Each time a new dollar (or Yen / Yuan/ Pound /Euro/ Krona/ Rupee) is created / printed, your dollar is debased, meaning, it lost some purchasing power. The cost of a new house, car or happy meal is evidence of that.

I saw this coming years ago, even before the Great Financial Crisis of 2008. Soon afterwards, I began investing in silver bars and rounds. Mostly once ounce bars and rounds but I do have a couple 5 ounce rounds and a few 10 ounce bars. I also have a small amount of old silver dimes, quarters, 50 cent pieces and dollar coins. If my employer gave us a Christmas bonus, I always took a portion of it and converted it to silver. I bought my silver over a ten year period and stopped in 2019 after I reached a goal I had set for myself. Ironically, as soon as I stopped purchasing, the price of silver started heading up, just as I expected it would.

Now, I see that silver sales have shot through the roof and the mints, one after the other, have had to shut down production a few times because they couldn't keep up with demand. While everyone is rushing in, I'm sitting back and watching. For you though, it is definitely not too late to get your hands on some silver. Silver is historically cheap. It's the only commodity that hasn't surpassed its 1980 high. Silver is a precious metal and is incredibly undervalued. It is not only a monetary metal but highly prized in industry. All of our cell phones, lap tops have silver content in them. A solar panel can have up to one ounce incorporated in them as silver is a fantastic conductor of electricity.

For this reason, I think silver is the number one hedge against inflation. At the very least, it will never lose its purchasing power. Your dollar on the other hand has lost more than 99% of its purchasing power since its inception in 1913. That alone says a lot. According to John Williams over at Shadowstats.com, using 1980 inflation calculations, silver should be several hundreds of dollars higher. There are predictions that silver might go to 4 digits and beyond. If the supply crunch trend continues, do expect higher prices. Consider taking at least 10% of your cash and converting it to silver, which is real money, by the way. I've purchased a big chunk of my silver holdings through OwnX. You can set up weekly, monthly payments directly from your bank account and whenever you feel like 'cashing in', all it takes is a few clicks and your silver is sent discreetly on its way to your mailbox. I was one of the first people to sign up at OwnX. I thought then and still think it's a great idea. I've placed the link below so check it out when you get the chance.

Another place to park your cash is in non-perishable foods. I've been seeing hints all over the internet that a food supply crunch may occur this fall. There have been locust infestations in Western Africa that reached the Middle East, China, Pakistan and India which devastated farm land. The terrible droughts in the US mid-west to California is so severe that it also threatens to shut down power dams. The horrible floods in Europe and Asia destroyed countless acres of farmland. In South America, they've been recently hit with a severe freeze that threatens coffee plantations. I love my coffee. I have at present, 8 bags of coffee beans as I expect coffee prices to shoot up and very soon. That's about a year's supply for me.

Food has been steadily but surely rising in cost. It wouldn't hurt to park some of your wealth in canned vegetables, soups, pasta sauces and dry goods like rice, dehydrated vegetables, nuts and beans. These items can last years in a proper environment. Build up a nice supply of seeds while you're at it. Stocking up now will ensure your family avoids higher food prices later on.

Stash some of your cash in a new set of clothes to be used later. Apparel prices are going up too. Also, much of our clothing is manufactured abroad. What if trade breaks down or a massive container vessel gets stuck in some canal? It means higher prices for your next pair of pants and shirt.

As much as I hate going to the dollar store and supporting the CCP, I will nevertheless suggest going to your local dollar store and buy up little things you feel might be important at home. Last month, I did just that and bought a few lighters, hand wash, mop heads and adhesive hooks to name a few. When the $%^t hits the fan and it looks like we're already well on our way, these little things we take for granted could end up being highly sought after if they should become unavailable.

And lastly, there's crypto-currencies. It's mainstream now so I don't need to go into the details but it's come to the point where it may be necessary to park some of your cash in cryptos. Like silver, I recommend no more than 10% of your cash. Cryptos are even more volatile than silver so be sure you understand what you're getting into. I myself purchased 100 Theta tokens and 1200 TRON tokens in the last month and a half and I only needed about $1,000 to transact this purchase. This was a small purchase so it didn't break my bank and this is probably the extent of my investments in cryptos for the time being.

As a precaution, You should always keep some cash on hand, hidden away somewhere in your home. The electricity can go out anytime.  Just ask Californians and Puerto Ricans. They understand. If the power goes out, you won't be able to get cash out of the bank. Being able to dip into your personal 'cash can' during such a time will obviously be of great benefit.

I'm sure there are other places to park your cash / wealth and pitfalls to avoid. Have any ideas? Please share your thoughts in the comments below. 'Likes' are appreciated and please subscribe to receive future notices when I publish new articles. Here's to your health and financial independence.