At the start of a new year we never know what we will be facing. Being prepared and planning for the unexpected will help you face whatever challenges that may come your way. Here are the top 10 events you may want to keep on your radar in the coming year.
10) 2012. According to the Mayan prophecy the world may end on December 21, 2012. End of the world prophecies have been around since the beginning of time. It is a great theme for movies and books and there will be plenty of hype about it but we will have to wait to see if this is the shift of ages. 2012 is a presidential year. We will be deciding our fate for the next 4 years.
9) North Korea and Pakistan. With regime change in North Korea it is difficult to decide what the future will bring. Will Kim Jong Un flex is muscle to show the world he is in charge or will he panic? Will other military leaders control his actions? Will they sell nuclear technology to other nations? Pakistan is another unstable nuclear power who you need to keep a close watch on.
8) Terrorist Attack. News reports say authorities have prevented hundreds to thousands of potential terrorist attacks, The terrorists only need to get lucky once. We saw in 2011 how a lone terrorist in Norway killed over 80 people. How many more lone terrorists are out there? How many organized sleeper cells are out there waiting for their turn? As older terrorists networks are dismantled, new ones are springing up. Hopefully authorities will continue to prevent new terrorist attacks.
7) Cyber Warefare. Every day business and government computer networks are bombarded with cyberattacks. World war 3 may very well be fought in cyberspace. Our electric grid, our infrastructure our daily way of life is now so ingrained with computers that it is only a matter of time that it comes to a screeching halt. Whether from a organized group in a foreign country or a rouge lone hacker, a major cyber attack is in our future.
6) Pandemic. We saw how the swine flu spread around the world in just a few weeks. Fortunately it was not as deadly as it could of been. A true worldwide pandemic will leave millions dead. It knows no boundaries. We are starting to see new strains of flu that no one is immune to and bird flu is showing up in several parts of the world again. In the event of a pandemic you want to be well stocked on food and supplies. The last place you want to be is standing in line waiting for a handout.
5) Social Unrest. The occupy movement and the Arab Spring have shown us that social unrest is here to stay. As more people take to the streets the more society comes unraveled. While the occupy movement has been relatively peaceful we will probably see in the future protests becoming much more violent spilling over into our everyday lives. Shutting down what ever they are protesting will become the norm. That could easily affect your job, your community, and your finances.
4) Natural Disasters. 2011 was a record year for natural disasters, Record heat and cold, freak storms, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornado’s, and flooding. Is mother nature starting to fight back? Our we creating our own weather problems? Natural disasters can strike suddenly and without warning. Know where to take shelter at all times, be prepared for the after effects.
3) Iran. The clock is ticking on Iran. Between their war games and threats to close the Strait of Hormuz to their nuclear program, time is running out for there not to be some type of major confrontation with Iran. If the US or Israel decide to bomb their nuclear facilities, retaliation for those actions will be swift and massive. If a nuclear weapon is involved that could very well be the start of world war 3. The price of oil will skyrocket, world economies will nosedive and push the world into a major depression. All you can do is to be prepared for the after effects.
2) Economic Collapse. We have seen over the past few years what happens when governments spend too much money. The Eurozone crisis has not been resolved, the deficit has no solutions, housing and unemployment are still front page news. Are you better off today than a decade ago? Are you underwater on your mortgage or unemployed? In 2007 there were people who knew there was an economic shitstorm on the horizon. What storm is on the horizon we are not yet seeing? What is going on behind closed doors that will affect us tomorrow? Will we wake up someday and find out the stock market has dropped 5000 points or the price of gas is now $20 a gallon? Will inflation or hyperinflation cost us an extra $100 at the grocery store every week? By getting your own financial house in order you will be better prepared for what ever economic storm is on the horizon.
1) Shit Happens, Life is Unfair. To be truly prepared is not always about being stocked to the gills with Band-Aids, beans and bullets, but to have your life in order to be prepared for the unexpected. You never know when your doctor will tell you that you have cancer, or when you might be laid off from your job. A heart attack can take you down quicker than a pandemic. A drunk driver can end your life just as easily as a gang of looters. Your house can burn down not from a nuclear explosion but from a bad electrical plug. There are a number of reasons to be well prepared and to stock up on food and supplies but there are even more reasons to be prepared for daily life.
Starting today your prep list should include:
Organizing your personal papers so love ones don’t have to dig through piles of papers.
Making an appointment for a physical
Updating or making a will, consider setting up a trust
Inventory your house and all your possessions including your preps!
Making a dental appointment
Clear out useless junk that is cluttering your life, Sell what you can, donate or throw out the rest.
Update your life insurance
Learn a new skill
Check and rebalance your investments. Build a “bomb shelter portfolio” that will survive an economic storm.
The sooner you start to take these steps the sooner you will feel better about the future. The sooner you add to your preps and supplies the better off you will be no matter what happens in 2012.
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