A weekly thread to discuss financial matters - from personal all the way up to global.
Ground Rules
- Remember that we're all just Internet randos. Don't bet your life savings on a hot tip from this thread.
- Keep culture war in the culture war thread. Yes, global events may impact our personal finances, but that does not mean we have to incessantly harp on culture war aspects here. If you are going to discuss it, please stick to the practical impacts of it on an individual level.
- Be kind. Remember that everyone here comes from different circumstances. We all have different resources available and different risk tolerances.
- Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Better is better. Celebrate people when they take a step up and work to move their finances in the right direction. Don't flame out because they haven't followed what you consider the optimal path. Everybody has to start somewhere.

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Notes -
I have strong memories of reading first-hand accounts by preppers after Katrina explaining that they were forced by government officials to give up their stockpiles to feed hungry people nearby, which I interpret as 'in times of hardship, it's better to be in a weakish position with the vast majority than put yourself in a position where you are visibly richer and safer'.
I can't now find those accounts and Google is telling me that this is misinformation, so either my recollections are wrong (entirely possible, I read this years ago) or the internet is being curated again. Assign low epistemic confidence.
Maybe it is misremembering of very real stories of cops going house to house to seize guns (in totally unlawful and unconstitutional way) and American gun owners obeying.
It was rather sordid and blackpilling episode, like the whole Katrina story, and it is understandable no one wants to be reminded of it.
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