This is the title of a recent book by David R. Webb, a finance guy and expat living in Stockholm. Who he is, however, isn't important, because everything he says can be readily verified—except for his conclusions and predictions, of course.
Home page: https://thegreattaking.com/
The book is free and readable/downloadable in several formats: https://thegreattaking.com/read-online-or-download
If you are new to the background of the Fed, I suggest you read the Banking Holiday chapter first.
I have been navigating the conspiracy landscape for decades, and this one has really got me spooked. It's not that I was unaware of the truth about central banking; I was unaware of how deliberately and thoroughly they have engineered the legal and technical infrastructure to wipe us out.
This is a PSA, but what I'm really hoping for is to stimulate discussion about How do we protect ourselves? We hear a lot of simplistic discussion of crypto (of which Monero is the most promising), precious metals, land, and other tangibles, but there are risks and thorny problems with all of it.
I read the book when the link to the documentary style interview was posted in here a few weeks ago. I was also aware of the central banking system's follies, as a light shined on them during the 2008 great financial crisis and I've tried to keep an eye on it ever since. Still, after reading the book it sent me into a depression that lasted a few days, to the point where I turned down a promotion at work because the realization hit me that all the extra effort it would take is likely to be stolen from me.
Anyway, there are levels of protection you can invest in, depending on your commitment level, but I'm not convinced that anyone could isolate themselves from an event like The Great Taking describes. There is no way to navigate this without huge risk.
At a minimum, keeping some non-perishable food in the pantry and some method of storing or purifying water is cheap insurance against bad times. It can be done even if you live in a city.
The most important thing you can do right now is get out of debt. If you can't pay off your debts you should consider downsizing. Any loans tied to debt will be called in and the assets will be confiscated when you're unable to pay (because there is no money in a deflationary depression).
If you live below your means, buy some PM's now. Buy physical silver if you have a little excess savings, or physical silver and gold if you have a lot of excess savings. It's easier to think of PM's as real money that you're trading devalued fiat currency for. Think carefully about how and where you will store them. Do not buy paper gold or rent gold in a custodial vault - those will not be there when you need them. If you have a big savings account at a bank, start thinking about what to do with it and how to get it out of the bank. When the banks fail, you will lose all savings.
I got out of the markets completely after 2008 and missed the last 15 year bull run, so take my advice at your peril. However, this time it seems they are poised to pull the rug on securities. If I was still in the markets, I would liquidate any positions I still held now.
From here, the commitment level gets higher. I'm talking about buying enough land to support yourself, should it come to that. Learning the skills, having the tools needed to grow a successful garden is where the rubber meets the road in terms of long term survival. You'd need to carefully pick the location, away from the cities, in a community of like-minded folks and put some roots down with your neighbors.
This is the level where tangible assets and skills are everything. You can build a homestead/farm with everything you need, but it takes YEARS to do this. It's a lifestyle commitment and it has to be something you really want. Many people have tried to live the country lifestyle and couldn't make it work.
Personally, I plan to keep going as long as I can in the city and hope for for the best.
Good stuff there. A couple of things:
I do not think anything will crash before the U.S. election, unless there is a staged mini-crisis that Biden can "solve" and look heroic. The Fed has Biden's back. If Trump wins and actually gets sworn in, I will be on high alert.
I am uncertain about how people will transact safely with PMs when fiat money disappears, especially if PMs have been outlawed. I'm optimistic that enough people will accept silver coins as cash. But tendering a large amount of gold or silver will be risky. I would feel better if knew someone was already building an alternative system. Crypto, especially XMR, will surely be part of the solution. But the challenge will be moving and/or storing the physical assets in some kind of secure clearing network.